There were no changes to the Committee membership.

Apologies for absence were received from from Councillor S Eldridge.

Members are invited to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests or other registrable and non-registrable interests in items on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Legal Advisor will explain the procedure to consider the application for a dispensation from the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

All parties present were asked to note the procedure for the conduct of business.  This was essentially to give everyone an equal opportunity to present their case and to ask questions of each other to understand the reasons for the application, the Committee’s role and to seek clarification of any points if necessary.

The Committee was asked to determine an application for a dispensation to be granted from a requirement set out in the Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy (the policy) pertaining to signage on private hire vehicles.

The Senior Licensing Officer was invited to present their report.

It was explained to the applicants that Members of the Committee used the policy to inform and direct decision making, acting as a guide to the considerations and conditions to be applied in licensing hackney carriage and private hire vehicles, drivers and operators.  However, it was important to ensure that each of the Council’s licensing requirements was suitably justified and proportionate to the risks.

Officers emphasised that the policy aimed to regulate taxi-related activities in the public interest and where appropriate, seek to enable good trade for all concerned.

Members noted that whilst consistency allowed a level playing field for the trade, the policy stated that consideration must also be given to any matter on its own individual merits.

Officers provided detail of the application from Driving Miss Daisy as appended to the report.  The request was to allow the dementia-friendly blue private hire vehicle to have the Driving Miss Daisy white and yellow daisy emblems added onto the vehicle livery because they had been described by the licence holder as “an integral part for our vulnerable customers”.

Members noted that Driving Miss Daisy was a worldwide company, with a UK Head Office located in Portsmouth. It operated on a franchise basis, with the applicant, Mr Luke Gibbons being the franchise holder for Driving Miss Daisy Addlestone. It was noted that Mr Gibbons held a RBC Driver’s Licence, an Operator’s Licence trading as “At your Service”, and a Private Hire Vehicle Licence, which was granted in December 2024.

There was some discussion about why Driving Miss Daisy fell within the requirements for private hire licensing.  Officers maintained that the sole element of being available for hire by pre-booked customers meant they had to be classed as a private hire operation.  At the same time, it was recognised and accepted that Driving Miss Daisy differed from standard private hire operators as they specialised in providing companion and driving services to persons with limited mobility, as well as frail and/or vulnerable persons.

Officers advised that the vehicle licensed with RBC was wheelchair accessible, only one of the three such licensed vehicles in the Borough.

The Committee was pleased that in contrast to standard private hire drivers, Driving Miss Daisy required their ‘Companion Drivers’ to have additional training including:

• Level 2 Emergency First Aid at Work

• Health & Safety – Safe Handling Techniques

• Dementia awareness (friends and/or champions)

• The Blue Lamp Trust Taxi Driving Assessment

• The Blue Lamp Trust Wheelchair Assessment (an assessment for drivers operating a wheelchair accessible vehicle)

• Drug Screening.

In addition, Mr Gibbons confirmed that their drivers were also subject to an enhanced DBS check.

It was noted that other franchises operated throughout Surrey, such  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Resolved that –

the press and public be excluded from the meeting during deliberation of the aforementioned application report under section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the report in question would be likely to involve disclosure of exempt information of the description specified in paragraph 3 of part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.