Meeting documents

Regulatory Committee (2005-2016)
Wednesday, 20th June, 2012 7.30 pm

Date:
Wednesday, 20th June, 2012
Time:
7.30 pm
Place:
New Council Chamber, Town Hall, Reigate
 

Attendance Details

Present:
Councillor G. Crome (Chairman); Councillors S. Banwait, Mrs L. Brunt, G. Crome, J. Durrant, R. Harper, D. Pay, Ms B. Thomson, B. Truscott and C. Whinney
Min NoDescriptionResolution
Part I
8. MINUTES
RESOLVED that the Minutes of the meeting held on 30 May 2012 be approved as a correct record and signed.
9 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND SUBSTITUTIONS
Apologies for absence were received from Councillor P. Shillinglaw.
10 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declarations of interest.
11 HOME BOARDING OF DOGS
RESOLVED,

1. that the LACORS model conditions for home boarding of dogs, with minor amendments as set out in Annex 1 to the report, be adopted; and

2. that the Head of Service responsible for Licensing be authorised to amend and adapt the application of the home boarding conditions, as and when necessary, following specific written veterinary advice and taking into account the specific circumstances of particular premises and the Council's licensing policy.
12 ANY OTHER URGENT BUSINESS
There was no urgent business.
13 EXEMPT BUSINESS
RESOLVED that the public and press be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business under section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that:

(i) they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act; and
(ii) the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
Part II(Confidential)
14 APPLICATION FOR A PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER'S LICENCE
  • (Attachment: 3)Agenda item: 7
RESOLVED, that the application for a private hire licence be GRANTED

Reasons for the Decision

1. The Committee considered the report and papers before it and also took note of the applicant's submissions at the hearing.

2. The Committee appreciated the applicant's honesty in disclosing the conviction on his application and in openly expressing his regrets at having committed the offence.

3. The Committee noted that the applicant had held a previous licence with the Council and that there were no recorded complaints about him during that time.
15 PRESS RELEASE
RESOLVED not to issue a press release in respect of Minute 14 above.
8.08 pm

Minute

Min NoMinute
11The Committee considered a report recommending that a policy should be adopted to control the home boarding of dogs.

Commercial dog boarding kennels were controlled through licence, however, no specific guidelines or licence conditions had been introduced to better reflect circumstances around businesses or individuals offering a home boarding service.

A number of businesses in the borough now advertised a home boarding service for dogs, particularly through the Internet, and it was recommended that the standard commercial kennel licence conditions be augmented with more suitable licence conditions for home boarding operations so as to ensure that they balance adequate standards with practicality .

A set of model conditions had been issued by the former Regulatory arm of the Local Government Association, LACORS. Officers had consulted with the Council's veterinarian adviser and dog warden, as well as with a local operator and were recommending that the Council should adopt this policy but with minor amendments to take account of local conditions. They were also recommending that the Head of Service should be given delegated authority to be flexible in implementing the policy, if particular circumstances based upon written veterinary advice, merited this.
14The Committee considered an application for a private hire driver's licence.

The Council's Criminal Convictions Policy, adopted in February 2012, states that an application will normally be refused if an applicant has been charged with a ‘relevant offence' within the past three years.

The applicant had disclosed a conviction for driving without a private hire licence on 12 February 2010, meaning that his application would normally be refused. He had therefore asked for it to be referred to the Committee for a decision, citing mitigating circumstances as set out in a letter at Annex 4 to the report. A letter of recommendation from a local business wishing to employ the applicant had also been received, as set out in Annex 2.

The applicant attended the hearing and addressed the Committee. He expressed his regret at having committed an offence and explained that he had been under a lot of pressure at the time.

The applicant had held a private hire licence with the authority from March 2003 to March 2009. He had intended to renew his licence but did not complete the application because of serious illness in his immediate family.

He had every intention of renewing his licence, however, and when he was asked to cover an airport booking at short notice, as a favour to a past employer for whom he hoped to work again in the future, he did not consider the consequences of agreeing to do so.

He was stopped at the airport, where the police were doing spot checks, and was found not to be in possession of a private hire licence, for which he was duly convicted.

The applicant declared his conviction on his application, although it had not appeared on the CRB check undertaken separately by the Council. This had no relevance to the present hearing.

The Committee adjourned to deliberate at 7.45 pm and reconvened at 7.55 pm.