Apologies were received from Councillor Sammons, and Councillor Heath. Councillor Fletcher is attending in Councillor Heath’s place as a substitute.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Licensing Committee meeting held on 13 November 2024.

The minutes of the meeting held on 13 November were approved as an accurate record of the meeting.

To receive additional items that the Chair is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency, in accordance with Section 100B (4) (b) of the Local Government Act 1972

There were no items of urgent Business.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Licensing Manager presented the report to the Licensing Committee. Advising that the report sets out the process and methodology for the setting of Licence Fees associated with licence applications under the remit of the Licensing Committee, considers any responses to the statutory consultation and proposes the licencing fees for the 2025-2026 financial year.

Members were advised there have been no changes to the following fees and charges and it’s up to members to make the final decision.

Members sought further clarity on the increased or reduced trading accounts deficit shared across several issued licenses, particularly around driver licences and Hackney Carriage private hire as they have increased by 16-30%. Members queried what was driving the costs. It was confirmed there were several factors that influence the cost of the service. The team review each area including the costs associated with that. Along with considering the costs of the officer’s time spent on activities and reviewing applications. The Licensing manager advised if they run at a deficit they can recover the costs in later years. If they run at a profit, they can offset those costs or reduce the costs later.

Members were advised the trading accounts are a year behind and income is dependent on the number of licenses that are processed. The Licensing Manager added that private- hire operators can be a 5-year license, however some are renewed on an annual basis. If majority of the licenses are renewed in one year, you can see a lot of income in one year followed by very little income in the years to come.

Members were advised that the team try to avoid raising or reducing the cost each year due to variables that come with it. They also spread the cost across several licenses.

Members were advised they have fewer licenses for hackney carriage and private hire this year and last year. This may be a result of the impact of COVID-19 and changes to the way the business operates. The costs of everything have increased, but also the number of licences that the costs are spread across have reduced. Hire trade have reduced, however the costs to deliver the services has increased and they must still be available.

Members queried whether the number of staff was required due to the changing nature of licenses. The Licensing Manager advised that officers are responsible for enforcement and following up that it’s being adhered too. In addition to this there has been an increase in enforcement activities. Adding that there may not be many renewals, however they need additional staff to process the current workload and focus on other tasks within their remit.

The Licensing Manager added there is a need for officers as they complete work around maintenance of licenses, not just issuing licenses. They are also considering expanding to review different areas of licensing. They continue to keep things under review and try to stay in budget. Thurrock fees in comparison to other Essex councils were not vastly over  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.