This year is already shaping up to be another significant one in licensing, with important announcements expected in a range of key areas.
Many of these will be discussed at the LGA’s annual licensing conference on 6 February, which will give delegates an opportunity to reflect on some of the key developments that can be expected to affect councils’ licensing committees and teams in 2024.
For example, colleagues from the Department for Transport will be joining us at the virtual conference to give an update on their work relating to taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) licensing.
We will hear from officials about the recently updated ‘Taxi and private hire vehicle licensing best practice guidance for local authorities in England’.
We also look forward to hearing more about the Government’s Levelling Up White Paper, which contains a proposal to transfer control of taxi and PHV licensing to both combined and upper-tier authorities.
We expect the department to begin consulting with stakeholders soon. To inform the LGA’s response, we will be surveying district councils and hosting a roundtable with some county councils, so please look out for further information on that.
Colleagues from City of Wolverhampton Council, Manchester City Council, and Worcestershire Regulatory Services, will participate in a panel discussion at conference on issues around ‘out of area’ working – where drivers licensed in one council area work in another – and possible solutions.
We will also hear from the Department of Health and Social Care on a proposed licensing regime for non-surgical cosmetic procedures. If introduced, this will be a significant new responsibility for council licensing teams.
The LGA responded to a government consultation on the proposals last autumn. While we support its objectives, we would like the proposed regime to take a more comprehensive approach and for government to take action to boost the capacity of regulatory services teams ahead of this new responsibility being implemented.
Conference delegates will also hear from Home Office colleagues about their priorities for the year ahead, particularly regarding plans in relation to the results of their recent council survey on licensing fees.
Securing an increase to the fees set under the Licensing Act 2003 remains a core LGA lobbying priority.
There will also be a wide range of expert speakers covering other topics such as effective approaches to member training, incorporating health considerations into licensing decisions, and the new permanent pavement licensing regime.
In other licensing news, the LGA continues to enhance its support offer to help with the process of inducting new members onto licensing committees.
We have recently produced a series of tip sheets on the different areas of licensing, as well as co-producing a suggested training standard for committee members with the Institute of Licensing.
This complements our series of scenario-based licensing videos, e-learning module, licensing handbooks and Licensing Leadership Essentials course for chairs and vice-chairs of committees. You can find these resources on the LGA’s website at www.local.gov.uk/licensing-committee-training-resources.
To book your place and view the programme for the LGA’s annual licensing conference, taking place on Zoom on 6 February, please visit www.local.gov.uk/events. For more information about the LGA’s licensing work, please email [email protected]