Licensing Team, County Hall, Cwmbran, NP44 2WN. Tel: 01633 64 - 7284/7286 Private Hire and Hackney Carriage News July 2011 The arrangements for fitting the plates and signs Policy Consultation are as follows. The first stage of the consultation on a revised The plates and door signs will be fitted by our policy has closed and the responses will be approved garages without charge to you. But this analysed soon. only applies to having the plate riveted onto the vehicle as per the council policy, or fitted to a Once the responses have been analysed a policy bracket (see below). will be drafted which will be sent out for further consultation which will include an open meeting We appreciate that some of you do not want to with all. Following the second stage consultation have the plates riveted to your vehicle, therefore the policy will be reviewed again and put through the only alternative fixing method is to purchase to the councillors for approval. the bracket which fits behind the registration plate on your vehicles, and the plate is then fixed to the This process will take some time and we are not bracket. expecting a conclusion this year. Therefore the existing policy is still the one you must consult when operating your businesses. Identification Plates and Door Signs You will be aware that we have different supplier for our plates and door signs, the roundels are Bracket Bracket with bridge now square and have been nick named ‘Squirrels’ (not by the licensing team) The licensing team sell the brackets at £8 each, if you need a bridge to extend the plate holder further away from the vehicle that is an extra £4. You will be able to take these away to fit yourselves or you may ask any garage to fit them for you but this would be at your expense. The plate will be fitted to the bracket free of Door Sign - not a charge by our approved garage as long as the bracket is fitted correctly and legally. Old Square Plates Rear Plate Some of you still have the old style small square plates on your vehicles; these are now being replaced by the newer rectangular plates (See above). If you have an old style plate please contact the licensing office and ask for a New Window Licence replacement. 1 Some drivers are making the booking over the radio when approached. It is the current view of the licensing officers that to act as an intermediary between the customer and the operator is not acceptable. It is also not acceptable for a driver to pick up a passenger and call the booking into the operator. A booking They will be supplied free of charge including must be made by the customer with the operator fitting with rivets. If a bracket is required that will prior to the journey. incur a cost as mentioned above. Foreign Nationals ~ Work Visa’s Private Hire Plying for Hire An employer is acting unlawfully if they employ a It is becoming apparent that many private hire person who does not have the right to work in the vehicles are parking up in areas where it is likely UK and can be fined up to £10,000 per illegal to attract customers that have not pre-booked a migrant worker. journey. Operators and drivers are reminded that this practise is unlawful. Although the licensing team work closely with the borders agency to check every application, the It is appreciated that vehicles have to park up onus is on the employer to check the visas of the when not engaged on a journey, however these drivers they employ to ensure they are entitled to locations must be discreet and certainly not areas work. The licensing team cannot pass where it is likely to attract customers, e.g. in information to the employer. Many visas only Cwmbran; the car park by Wetherspoons, railway allow a person to work for 20 hours per week, if station, the bus terminus or any bus stop, and you supply more than these hours to a person outside of Wetherspoons in George Street with one of these visas then you again commit an Pontypool. offence. Parking in these and similar locations would be Please check the documents of drivers who are deemed to be plying for hire which is illegal. Only not part of the EU very closely, visas can be Hackney Carriages can ply for hire and then only found in a person’s passport. If you are not sure from a specified rank. what a visa allows a person to do the border agency can tell you what it covers e.g. specialist work visa. If you are unsure of a visa please contact The Sponsorship & Employers Help Line on 0300 123 4699. CRB checks Making Bookings for Private Hire The Criminal records Bureau have recently changed their rules which make it unlawful for Private Hire bookings must be made in advance licensing to apply for an enhanced CRB check for of the journey and it is illegal for a driver to pick taxi and private hire drivers; we are only permitted up a passenger that has not made a pre-booking. to apply for a standard check. There appears to be some confusion as to what However if you are used for a contract with social happens if a person approaches a private hire services or education you will need the enhanced driver to ask if they can take a fare. check. The answer should be no, however the person The licensing team will apply for the enhanced can be directed to call the office on the number check on your behalf as long as you declare on displayed on the vehicle to make the booking, it your application that you are used on education would then be for the operator to dispatch the or social services contracts for Torfaen CBC. driver which may or may not be the vehicle that was approached. The cost of the checks have also changed, the standard check is £26 an enhanced is £44. 2 .