Report of the Transactional and Licensing Team Manager is attached.

Contact: Mandy Beever (01743 251702)

20.1    Members received the report of the Transactional and Licensing Team Manager which set out revised fees for the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023.

20.2    The Transactional and Licensing Team Manager advised Members that the report set out proposed fees and charges for the financial year April 2022 – March 2023 and that if approved they would go forward to Cabinet and Council for approval prior to implementation and reminded the meeting that some fees were set by law and that there were some licenced activities for which no fee could be charged all of which were listed in the report.

20.3    The Transactional and Licensing Team Manager advised the meeting that the process for fees applicable to hackney carriage, private hire vehicle and operator licences was different in that a separate consultation was required and that if objections were received it may delay the implementation of the new fees, but if there were no objections fees would be implemented the day after the end of the consultation.

20.4    In response to a question regarding how the deficit in 2020/21 compared with previous years the Transactional and Licensing Team Manager advised that it was difficult to compare as different licences ran for different lengths of time, so renewals varied.  She added that there would be a knock-on effect from the pandemic as some activity had ceased. 

20.5    In response to a question regarding whether any work was being done to get statutory fees raised to a realistic level the Transactional and Licensing Team Manager confirmed that Government had said that they would look at this and that the Council had done the necessary modelling work to set those fees when allowed.

20.6    A Member asked what was done to notify businesses of the proposed increases in fees.  The Transactional and Licensing Team Manager advised that all businesses were advised of fees by email.  She outlined measures that had been taken to help businesses through the pandemic.

20.7    A Member asked whether any consideration have been given to offering a discount to those applying for a private hire or hackney carriage vehicle licence if the vehicle was electric or hybrid.  The Transactional and Licensing Team Manager advised that as part of the policy all vehicles had to achieve “Euro 5” levels for emissions which was a very high level, and that there were no plans to introduce a discount but that the length of licence for an electric car was longer which did provide an element of saving.

20.8    A Member asked what was being done to reduce costs to limit increases in fees.  The Transactional and Licensing Team Manager advised that work had been done to review all previous models and to look at all elements of the process.  She advised that there was currently a procurement process being undertaken to secure a new IT system which would allow more “self-service” and online application service which would reduce officer time and cost. 

20.9    Members thanked the Transactional and Licensing Team Manager for her clear and comprehensive report.

20.10  RESOLVED:

a.    That the Committee notes the statutory fees that Shropshire Council is required to charge in accordance with the Licensing Act 2003 as set out in Appendix A, in accordance with the Gambling Act 2005 as set out in Appendix B and in accordance with explosives and fireworks legislation as set out in Appendix C and recommends that the authority implements these fees (or if subject to statutory amendment, the relevant amended fees) on the 1 April 2022 and instructs the Head of Trading Standards and Licensing to arrange for the fees to be included in the 2022/23 annual fees and charges reports that are presented to Cabinet and Council and further instructs the Head of Trading Standards and Licensing to implement, as appropriate, any other statutory fees that may be brought into force during the 2022/23 financial year and to publish all relevant statutory fees on the licensing pages of the Council’s website as soon as is practicable.

b.    That the Committee implements, with any necessary modification and with effect from 1 April 2022, the proposed fees as set out in Appendices D, E, F, G and H that relate to those licences and licensing related activities where the authority has the discretion to determine the fees and instructs the Head of Trading Standards and Licensing to arrange for the fees to be included in the 2022/23 annual fees and charges reports that are presented to Cabinet and Council and further instructs the Head of Trading Standards and Licensing to publish the fees on the licensing pages of the Council’s website as soon as is practicable.

c.    That the Committee proposes to vary the fees relevant to driver, hackney carriage, private hire vehicle and operator licences as set out in Appendix F, with any necessary modification, and instructs the Head of Trading Standards and Licensing, in accordance with the provisions of Section 70 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 to undertake the necessary work to consult and implement the fees.

d.    That the Committee instructs the Head of Trading Standards and Licensing to arrange for the proposed fees as set out in Appendix F, with any necessary modification, to be included in the 2022/23 annual fees and charges reports that are presented to Cabinet and Council and, where necessary, in respect of those fees a note is recorded in the said annual reports stating ‘Provisional fees under consultation fees to be confirmed by the Strategic Licensing Committee’.