Request for Public Consultation - Unmet Demand Survey Perth
Perth and Kinross Council · 25 March 2025
Back to Licensing Committee — 25 March 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Our vision is a Perth and Kinross where everyone can live life well, free from poverty and inequality ___________________________________________________________________ Committee or Board: Licensing Committee Date of Meeting: 25 March 2025 Report Title: Request for Public Consultation – Unmet Demand Survey Perth Report Number: 25/63 Report Author: Sarah Rodger, Legal Manager Organisational Lead: Lisa Simpson, Strategic Lead, Legal and Governance ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this Report is to update the Licensing Committee in relation to the outcome of the latest Unmet Demand Survey and to recommend that a public consultation be undertaken regarding the options set out in the survey. In particular, the report seeks authority to consult on proposals to either increase the limit for taxis in Perth City by a further 24 licences or to remove the limit on the numbers of taxis which may operate in Perth City 1.2 Sections 1. Purpose 2. Recommendations 3. Background 4. Current Considerations 5. Proposal 6. Conclusion/Rationale for Recommendations 7. Impact Value Assessment
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8. Appendices 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Survey concludes that there is an unmet demand for taxis in Perth. It is therefore recommended that the Committee: 2.1.1 Note the contents of this Report; 2.1.2 Requests that the Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance undertakes consultation with the public and the taxi and private hire trade in relation to either: (a) the issuing of a further 24 taxi licences within Perth City, or (b) the removal of any limit on the numbers of taxis that may operate in Perth City. 2.1.3 Requests that the Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance reports back to a future meeting of the Committee in due course with the outcome of the consultation and any recommendations. 3. Background 3.1 The Council is responsible for regulating taxi and private hire operators and drivers in the Perth and Kinross area. In terms of Section 10 (3) of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, an application for the grant of a taxi licence may be refused by a licensing authority for the purpose of limiting the number of taxis in respect of which licences are granted. However, applications can only be refused on this ground if the Council is satisfied that there is no significant demand for the services of taxis in their area which is unmet. 3.2 Before the Council can rely on this ground to refuse applications, it must be able to establish that there is no significant unmet demand for taxis in its area. This has been the subject of a number of court cases across Scotland over the years, which have clearly established that the most appropriate way in which Councils can assess demand is to carry out a survey at regular intervals. This is also reflected in the Scottish Government Best Practice Guidance at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/taxi-and-private-hire -vehicle-licensing-best-practice-guidance. It is recommended that this takes place at least every three years. The Council had adopted a practice of carrying out such surveys and commissions and external provider to undertake this on behalf of the Council given the specialist and technical nature of the task. 3.3 The Council limits the number of taxi operator licences for Perth and has done so for many years. 3.4 In 2010, the Council reviewed its policy of having a limit on taxis and considered whether the limit should be removed. This would have allowed unlimited numbers of taxis in Perth and Kinross. The Committee decided,
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following that review, that it was necessary to continue to limit the number of taxis in Perth and Blairgowrie (report 11/15). The principal reason behind that decision was that there would be significant benefits to the public in having a limit because this supported continued investment in the taxi trade. Since then, surveys have been carried out regular intervals to establish whether there is any unmet demand for taxi services, to inform decisions about what that limit should be set at. 3.4 The last survey was carried out in July 2020. Following completion of that survey, the Committee resolved (report G/22/45) to award 5 new taxi licences in Perth to give effect to the survey’s recommendations. It was resolved that new taxi licences granted should have a condition added to ensure that the vehicles associated with the licences are Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles for the whole duration of the licence. 4. Current Considerations 4.1 Currently there are 80 taxi operator licences in Perth. 4.2 In August 2024, a further taxi demand survey was commissioned to establish the current position regarding unmet demand and to assess whether there had been any significant change since the 2020 Survey. 4.3 The survey was carried out according to best practice in this field. Data was collected through consultation with stakeholders, the trade and members of the public. In addition, observations of activity at taxi ranks were undertaken to record volumes of taxis and passengers using each rank and whether any passengers had to wait for taxis to arrive at the ranks. 4.4 The survey commenced in August 2024 and has now been completed. The survey is attached as Appendix A. The principal issues identified in the survey are: - 4.4.1 Passenger waiting observed in 2024 was significantly greater than passenger waiting observed in 2017 (pre-pandemic). 4.4.2 Disabled passengers and in particular wheelchair users continue to face increased difficulties, over and above those faced by non-disabled passengers. This is an issue that is repeatedly identified through previous surveys. 4.4.3 If the limit is increased to allow a large number of new taxi licences to be issued, it is also worth considering whether there is a realistic difference between that and removing the cap altogether. 4.5 The conclusion of the survey is that there is a significant unmet demand for the services of taxis in the Perth area. The survey recommends that the limit on the number of taxis be increased by 24. The survey also indicates that the
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Council could consider removing the limit on taxi numbers given the significant level of unmet demand. It should be noted that historically, the Licensing Committee has agreed to issue additional licences based on the recommendation in the unmet demand survey without further consultation with the trade or the public. The increase in the number of taxis in those instances was minimal with relatively limited impact on the trade as a whole. As either of the options set out in this report will have a significant impact on the taxi and private hire trade in Perth City, further consultation with those affected must be undertaken before a decision can be made about which option the Council should adopt. 4.6 In addition to the outcome of the survey indicating that there is a significant unmet demand for taxis, concerns have been raised by the public about the lack of availability of taxis in Perth City. Consultation is therefore required to determine the public’s view on the options available, and in particular to assess whether the policy of limiting the number of taxis at the current level remains necessary and proportionate and continues to serve the public interest. 5. Proposal 5.1 The Committee is asked to request the Strategic Lead – Legal and Governance to undertake a public consultation on either increasing the number of taxi operator licences by 24, or removing the limit on taxi numbers completely. 5.2 The consultation would be directed to existing taxi and private hire operators and drivers as well as the public more generally. 5.3 The consultation would be conducted through the Council’s consultation hub. 5.4 The consultation would be brought to the public and stakeholders’ attention through social media channels as well as direct attention being brought to booking offices, taxi and private hire operators and drivers, trade groups, and Police Scotland. 5.5 The findings of the consultation and recommendations on next steps will be reported back to the Licensing Committee in due course. 6. Conclusion/Rationale for Recommendations 6.1 The Survey concludes that: 6.1.1 There is unmet demand for taxi services in Perth City. 6.1.2 The unmet demand for taxi services in Perth City is significant. This means that there insufficient taxis to meet demand.
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6.1.3 This means the Council needs to consider either revising the limit or removing it completely. 7. Impact Value Assessment 7.1 An Impact Value Assessment has been completed and is available online at: https://www.pkc.gov.uk/article/24316/Impact-and-Value-Assessments 8. Appendices 8.1 Appendix A – Taxi Unmet Demand Survey