Agenda item

The Service Director Legal Services will submit a report on a request received from the Barnsley Hackney Carriage Association on a request to increase the current Hackney Carriage Tariff.

The Service Director Legal Services submitted a report on a request received from the Barnsley Hackney Carriage Association to increase the current Hackney Carriage Tariff.

Members were reminded of the findings of the Hackney Carriage Demand Survey, which was presented to the Board on 20^th December, 2017.  This highlighted the need to encourage the availability of carriages at times where demand currently exceeded supply, specifically between the hours of 3.00am - 7.00am on Sunday mornings.

The request received, if approved by the Board, would be advertised in the local press.  If there were no objections received, this would be duly implemented. However, if any objections were received then this would be reconsidered by the Board.

Members discussed the proposed increases and the impact on hackney carriage users at times other than early on Sunday morning, including over the Christmas period.  Whilst the proposed increases at these times were not as a result of the demand survey, it was recognised that the Hackney Carriage Tariff had not increased since February, 2017 and costs in providing the service would have increased.

Those present discussed the impact on Private Hire providers, but it was acknowledged that fares were set by the providers themselves, rather than the local authority.

RESOLVED that the proposal by Barnsley Hackney Carriage Association to increase the Hackney Carriage fares as detailed in Appendix 1 be advertised in accordance with the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1976, and subject to no objections being received, be approved for implementation from 00.01 on Saturday 13^th July, 2019.