Report of the Senior Commissioner (Public Protection) is attached, marked 7.

Contact: Frances Darling (03456789026).

Consideration was given to a report of the Senior Commissioner (Public Protection) relation to the Licensing Fees and Charges for 2015 – 2016. (copy attached to the signed minutes).

The Senior Commissioner (Public Protection) presented the report and explained that the recommendation 2.2 had been replaced with the following:

That the Committee agrees, with any necessary modifications, that the proposed fees relevant to those licences and licensing related activities where the authority has the discretion to determine the fees as set out in Part 2 of the Appendix A be referred to Cabinet and for further consideration in the 2015/16 annual fees and charges report with respect to adoption and implementation on 1 April 2015 and at such time as the fees are agreed by Cabinet and Council the Committee also instructs the Head of Public Protection to publish, on the Council’s website, the agreed fees.

In response to a question from a Member regarding safeguarding, the Senior Commissioner (Public Protection) outlined the processes undertaken by the team and noted that this was covered in more detail in the next agenda item.  

Responding to a question in relation to how fees were calculated, the Senior Commissioner (Public Protection) explained that this was an ongoing process where all the costs including central costs were identified using the best method available, ensuring that the costs were reasonable and that no loss or profit was made. It was added that these costs were likely to change year to year as services change and that these costs were reviewed the following year with the figures for 2013/14 currently being reviewed.

The Senior Commissioner (Public Protection) confirmed that the Telford and Wrekin Borough Council Fees and Charges were included in the report for information purposes only and cannot influence the fees and charges set by Shropshire Council. In response to a query it was explained that enforcement exercises took place in the Telford and Wrekin Borough Council area and there were regular meetings between officers from both authorities.

RESOLVED:

1.    The Committee noted the statutory fees that Shropshire Council was required to charge in respect of the specified licences under the Licensing Act 2003 and the Gambling Act 2005 as set out in Part 1 of Appendix A and agreed to implement these fees (or if subject to statutory amendment, the relevant amended fees) on the 1 April 2015 and instructs the Head of Public Protection to include the fees in the 2015/16 annual fees and charges report that is presented to the Council and further instructs the Head of Public Protection to implement, as appropriate, any other statutory fees that may be brought into force during the 2015/16 financial year.

2.    The Committee agreed that the proposed fees relevant to those licences and licensing related activities where the authority has the discretion to determine the fees as set out in Part 2 of the Appendix A be referred to Cabinet for further consideration in the 2015/16 annual fees and charges report with respect to adoption and implementation on 1 April 2015 and at such time as the fees are agreed by Cabinet and Council the Committee also instructs the Head of Public Protection to publish, on the Council’s website, the agreed fees.

3.    The Committee agreed to implement, with any necessary modification, the proposed fees relevant to driver, hackney carriage, private hire vehicle and operator licences as set out in Part 3 of Appendix A and instructs the Head of Public Protection, in accordance with the provisions of Section 70 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, to publish in the Shropshire Star a notice setting out those fees that it is proposed will be varied and specifying a period from 12 January 2015 to 15 February 2015 (this being not less than 28 days) within which and the manner in which objections to the proposed fees can be made. 

            AND                                               

Where no objections to the proposed variation in fees are received by 15 February 2015 or if all objections so made are withdrawn by the said date the Committee agreed to implement the proposed variation to the fees on 16 February 2015 or where objections to the proposed variation to the fees are received by 15 February 2015 and are not withdrawn by the said date, the Committee will consider the objections at a meeting on the 18 March 2015 with a view to setting the date of 1 April 2015 (being a date not later than 2 months after the 16 February 2015) when the proposed variation to the fees shall come into force with or without further modification. 

4.    The Committee instructs the Head of Public Protection to include the proposed fees, as set out in Part 3 of Appendix A, in the 2015/16 annual fees and charges report presented to the Council and that in respect of those fees that were subject to a proposed variation that these were recorded in the said annual report as ‘provisional fees under consultation between 12 January 2015 and 15 February 2015; fees to be confirmed by 31 March 2015’.