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Licensing Committee - Wednesday 13 March 2024 6.00 pm

March 13, 2024 View on council website

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Summary

The Licensing Committee of Telford and Wrekin Council voted to approve new fees and charges for licenses, permits and registrations from 1 April 2024. The committee also endorsed a new pre-application service for taxi drivers who are applying for a new license, or to renew an existing one.

Licensing Fees 2024-2025

The committee considered a report on proposed changes to fees for licenses, permits and registrations issued by the council. 1 The most significant changes were to fees for taxi licenses and for the licensing of caravan sites. The proposed changes for caravan sites in particular were the subject of significant discussion. Some Councillors felt that the new fees for caravan site licenses were too high and might discourage businesses from applying. They were also concerned that the increases might lead to higher costs for people living on those sites, and might even encourage some to apply for licenses from other councils.

... some Members raised concerns regarding preventing or dissuading taxi drivers from applying locally for licences due to the increased fees... the jump in fees for Zoos, the hiring of horses, street trading and the transfer fee for mobile homes. Minutes of a meeting of the Licensing Committee held on Wednesday 13 March 2024

Council officers responded that they had compared the council's fees to those of other councils in the area and were satisfied that they were reasonable. 2

...benchmarking had taken place with neighbouring authorities. Minutes of a meeting of the Licensing Committee held on Wednesday 13 March 2024

The Council officers also stated that each of the proposed fees had been carefully calculated to ensure that they reflected the costs involved in providing the service. The committee voted to approve the new fees and charges, which will come into effect on 1 April 2024.

Taxi pre-application advice service

The committee also endorsed the introduction of a new service that will allow taxi drivers to pay £70 to receive advice and guidance on their applications for a new license or for the renewal of an existing one. 3

...the pre-application service and associated fee for new and renewing taxi licence applicants be endorsed. Minutes of a meeting of the Licensing Committee held on Wednesday 13 March 2024

This service was introduced in January of this year, and is intended to make it more likely that taxi driver applications meet the council's standards and can therefore be processed more quickly.


  1. A report on proposed changes to fees for licenses, permits and registrations was presented to the committee. 

  2. Benchmarking is the process of comparing a council's performance against other similar organisations. In this case, the council officers had compared the council's fees to those of other councils in the area. 

  3. The new service is intended to make it more likely that taxi driver applications meet the council's standards and can therefore be processed more quickly. 

Attendees

Profile image for CouncillorGilly Latham-Reynolds
Councillor Gilly Latham-Reynolds  Labour •  Oakengates & Ketley Bank
Profile image for CouncillorLyndsey Parker
Councillor Lyndsey Parker  Labour •  Dawley & Aqueduct
Profile image for CouncillorErin Aston
Councillor Erin Aston  Labour •  Lawley
Profile image for CouncillorAndy Burford
Councillor Andy Burford  Labour •  Dawley & Aqueduct
Profile image for CouncillorPaul Davis
Councillor Paul Davis  Cabinet Member for Communities & Civic Pride •  Labour •  Haygate & Park
Profile image for CouncillorJohn Thompson
Councillor John Thompson  Labour •  Wrockwardine Wood & Trench
Profile image for CouncillorKaren Tomlinson
Councillor Karen Tomlinson  Liberal Democrats •  Shawbirch & Dothill
Profile image for CouncillorRachael Tyrrell
Councillor Rachael Tyrrell  Conservative •  Priorslee

Topics

No topics have been identified for this meeting yet.

Meeting Documents

Agenda

Agenda frontsheet Wednesday 13-Mar-2024 18.00 Licensing Committee

Reports Pack

Public reports pack Wednesday 13-Mar-2024 18.00 Licensing Committee

Additional Documents

Fees Report
Appendix A- Proposed Licence Fees 2024-2025
Appendix C - Draft Park Homes Policy 2024-2025
Printed minutes Wednesday 13-Mar-2024 18.00 Licensing Committee
Minutes 21112023 Licensing Committee
Appendix B- Proposed Licensing Fees 2024-2025 - Park Homes