Agenda item

To consider the report of the Director of Resources on the issues arising from the review of the requirement for all existing licensed Taxi and Private Hire drivers and new applicants to undertake NVQ/VRQ assessments

(Report attached)

The Committee considered the report of the Head of Licensing and Registration on the issues arising from the review of the requirement for all existing licensed Hackney Carriage (HC) and Private Hire (PH) drivers and new applicants to the trade to undertake NVQ/VRQ assessments. The report sought authority for officers to undertake a three month public consultation on the proposals to amend the Policy relating to the NVQ/VRQ requirement.

  (Councillors Bruce and Khan withdrew from the meeting at this point)

Members’ attention was directed to the findings of the NVQ/VRQ Working Group (WG) which had been established by the Licensing Committee to assess future training for drivers in the light of decreased Government funding for the NVQ/VRQ training. The WG had determined that training was beneficial for the professionalism of the trade and safety of the travelling public and had identified elements of the NVQ/VRQ package which were regarded as essential for any future training package. Members were asked to consider the costs and delivery of the proposed training programme and to recommend who the proposed requirement should apply to.

  Members discussed the following:

• The need for the training package to be clear and relevant, bearing in mind the significance of the legislation governing the trade, such as the Equality Act 2010
• The WG acknowledgement that the Council could not resource assessments offered by the NVQ/VRQ; rather a training package would be devised based on the relevant and essential elements identified by the Committee

(Councillor Khan resumed his seat in the meeting at this point)

• New applicants would be required to achieve the proposed Certificate of Attainment prior to the grant of a Licence
• Concerns amongst some drivers that existing drivers who were under suspension but who had been driving for a long time were required to undergo training under the current policy and this increased the length of their suspension. Members supported the response that in the interests of public safety, PH drivers who had been found to be plying for hire were required to undergo appropriate remedial training. The proposals before Members suggested that any driver with a substantiated customer service related complaint against them should undertake the full training package, but there was also room to consider whether a driver in breach of certain conditions could undertake just the relevant part of the training

(Councillor Bruce resumed her seat in the meeting at this point)

• The need to ensure that all aspects of the trade were involved in the consultation, including small and lone Operators
• Recognition that many of the skills identified in the essential training elements were skills which were beneficial to the PH and HC trades and could be transferred to other professions

Members discussed the suggestion that the full Committee should formally meet with trade representatives in order to ensure they engaged with the consultation. The Committee noted the existing communication arrangements between TPHL and the trades and made suggestions including

• Information on the consultation should be made available at the TPHL offices for drivers who attended appointments
• All Members of Council should receive information so that they can advise their constituents of the consultation
• Information on the consultation should be included within the monthly mail out to the trades

RESOLVED –

a)  That the contents of the report and discussions be noted

b)  That the existing NVQ/VRQ requirement on all existing drivers or new applicants in the first year of their licence be withdrawn with immediate effect

c)  That the findings of the NVQ/VRQ Working Group be noted and officers be authorised to undertake public consultation on the following recommendations of the Working Group:

  I.  That officers be requested to re-design the training course to mirror those elements of the nationally recognised vocational qualification considered essential by the Working Group as far as realistically possible (as detailed in Appendix A of the report)

  II.  To note that the cost of the training and testing programme will be met by those applying for a Hackney Carriage or Private Hire driver licence and those referred for training who are existing licence holders

  III.  That the requirement to undertake the re-designed programme would apply to those applicants whose application was received after the Licensing Committee decision to adopt the new training programme

  IV.  That existing drivers who had not achieved the NVQ/VRQ would only need to meet the new training requirement in the event of a substantiated complaint or conditions breach

  V.  That existing drivers who had already attained the NVQ/VRQ would be exempt from the requirement to undertake the new course

  VI.  That a Leeds City Council Certificate of Attainment will be granted to successful applicants on completion of the course

d)  To note that a further report will be presented to the Licensing Committee on 16^th October 2012 for consideration of the proposed Policy, setting out the results of the public consultation and providing full details on resourcing and costs prior to a final recommendation being made to Executive Board

e)  That officers be requested to implement a plan to ensure widespread publicity for, and involvement in, the public consultation on the training package proposals