Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member Safety & Communities, Councillor Victoria Atherstone

The Cabinet Member for Safety and Communities said that when the revised taxi and private hire licensing policy was adopted in July, the section about the 2040 emissions policy was held back, pending further consultation which has now concluded.  CBC is proposing to adopt same policy as that of Stroud District and Tewkesbury Borough Councils,  maintaining the highest possible standards with our neighbours and minimising fears about licence shopping. We are committed to keep this approach under review, working alongside the licensed trade, CBC’s climate team, Climate Leadership Gloucestershire, and other district Cabinet leads. 

She said that on our journey to carbon neutrality by 2030, the emissions policy will be reviewed to consider whether a move to electric vehicles (with no tailpipe emissions) or ULEV (with less than 75g of CO2 per kilometre emitted) is appropriate by 01 April 2028, always mindful that people’s livelihoods are linked to taxis and private hire trade,   which creates employment and provides vital services to residents and visitors, while supporting safety, accessibility, and overall economic activity. 

With electric car technology continually improving, especially battery capacity and management – a main historic reason for non-adoption, due to concerns over range anxiety – she confirmed that ownership is increasing, pushing up demand and driving down price.   The age and mileage of current vehicles must be considered, however, and whether there are sufficient fast charging options in town, and work is ongoing towards our 2030 goal, in line with the Climate Emergency Action Plan. Currently, 48% of the fleet is either electric or hybrid, and further policy review will be undertaken if needed in April 2030.  In the meantime, we will work to engage with all partners across Gloucestershire, neighbouring districts and the trade.

In response to a Member’s questions, the Licensing and Public Protection Manager confirmed that there is a typo under Point D on page138 of the agenda -  which should state that ‘all vehicles must emit zero emissions on their 2033 renewal date’, not 2030 as shown, and undertook to correct the error.

In response to a Member’s question about what is being done, in conjunction with the county and rail services, to provide affordable public charging points for taxis at places where they need to be, in particular at railway stations, the Cabinet Member for Safety and Communities confirmed that a review of infrastructure in Cheltenham showed provision to be currently quite sparse, with the majority of chargers at the Arle Court Transport Hub being slow – 7KW or 13KW per hour, which would take up to seven hours  for a full charge, not sufficient for the taxi trade.  There are a number of fast-charge bays in Bath Road car park, and the county is working to put more in other car parks, but clearly more high-capacity charging options will be needed to support the taxi trade.

The Cabinet Member for Planning and Building Control added that there are four rapid chargers in the outside car park at Arle Court Transport Hub. 

In debate, Members made the following points:

-       the Cabinet Member is to be commended on this impressive report – this is a tricky brief, balancing the political demands of our commitment to Net Zero with the taxi trade’s need to earn a good living, and managing expectations is difficult;

-       the revisions to the policy take a pragmatic view of ULEV, now a more sensible compromise in accepting a wider range of vehicles including plug-in, hybrid, hydrogen and electric with range extenders.  This will provide reassurance for the trade and passengers on longer journeys, although ultimately, electric vehicles are massively cheaper to run than petrol and most consistent with our Net Zero ambition. It is brilliant that we are taking so much care to make it work for taxi trade while sticking to that commitment;

-       it is good to hear that the taxi fleet is already 48% hybrid or electric (ie not diesel or petrol) and that our neighbouring councils have the same policy, giving it a much better chance of continuing as we move towards local government reorganisation;

-       the way the market is moving means that a new electric vehicle will soon be cheaper than a new petrol vehicle, which will drive change without any negative effect on the ability to make money for the taxi trade;

-       it is good that this policy has come through without a huge amount of push-back from the trade, but imperative on us as council to put pressure on private railway operators and county council to ensure charging facilities are available near taxi ranks at stations.

The Cabinet Member for Safety and Community thanked Members for their comments, and confirmed that she and officers would look at the infrastructure around areas where taxi drivers wait for passengers to assess the opportunities for more charging points.

RESOLVED THAT:

-       the Taxi and Private Hire Licensing Policy attached at Appendix 2 is adopted.