Starline Sussex say they are more than happy with a new council recommendation to put up their licence fees over a period of two years instead of in one hit.
Councillors have been discussing a hike in taxi licensing fees in Chichester at the General licensing committee this morning, they were due to be put them up by 37% . There hadn't been a rise in operators and private hire drivers' licence fees since 2016 but Starline Sussex Ltd feared a huge jump in costs would put drivers off working in the district, as traditionally taxi drivers pay for some of their own licenses and inevitably mean a price rise for taxi customers.
Operator Starline attended the General Licensing meeting after citing concerns.
Councillors now say
“After listening to the concerns of local representatives of the private hire trade, our General Licensing Committee members felt that the proposed increase would be too much in one year.
“As a result, they proposed and agreed that there should be an 18.5 % increase for the financial year 2024-2025 and then a further 18.5% increase for the following financial year, 2025 – 2026. The committee also asked for a financial report to be carried out towards the end of the 2024-2025 financial year in order that they can check the financial position of the council’s hackney carriage and private hire licensing service.
“The decision of the General Licensing Committee is now expected to be reported at the next meeting of Cabinet for final approval.”
The recommendation will now to go to full council.
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