Report to Follow.

Consideration was given to a report of the Operations Manager – Health and Community Protection in relation to the Licensing Fees and Charges for 2015 – 2016. (copy attached to the signed minutes).

The Business Partner (Commissioning) confirmed that all controllable costs were now recovered and noted that she did not have the information currently available to answer the questions in relation to the internal market recharges applied to Licensing, the surplus/deficit produced including the recharges and what the surplus/deficit would have been had internal market recharges not been applied. She agreed to circulate this information following the meeting.

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 2016 and instructs the Head of Public Protection to include the fees in the 2016/17 annual fees and charges report to be 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 2016/17 financial year.  

(2)       The Committee agreed to implement, with any necessary modification, the proposed fees relevant to those licences and licensing related activities where the authority has the discretion to determine the fees on the 1 April 2016 and instructs the Head of Public Protection to publish, on the Council’s website, the intention of the Committee to revise the fees as set out in Part 2 of Appendix A and further instructs the Head of Public Protection to include the fees in the 2016/17 annual fees and charges report to be presented to the Council.

(3a) 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 was proposed would be varied and to specify a period from 11 January 2016 to 14 February 2016 (this being not less than 28 days) within which and the manner in which objections to the proposed fees can be made.   

AND   

(3b)   The Committee agreed to implement the proposed variation to the fees on 15 February 2016, where no objections to the proposed variation in fees were received by 14 February

2016 or if all objections so made were withdrawn by the said date or where objections to the proposed variation to the fees were received by 14 February 2016 and were not withdrawn by the said date, the Committee would consider the objections at a meeting on the 30 March 2016 with a view to setting the date of 1 April 2016 (being a date not later than 2 months after the 15 February 2016) when the proposed variation to the fees would come into force with or without further modification.   

(4)     The Committee instructed the Head of Public Protection to include the proposed fees, as set out in Part 3 of Appendix A, in the 2016/17 annual fees and charges report to be  presented to the Council and that in respect of those fees that were                                                                                                                                                                 subject to a proposed variation that these be recorded in the said annual report as ‘provisional fees under consultation between 11 January 2016 and 14 February 2016; fees to be confirmed by 30 March 2016’.