Issue - meetings

To receive information on the fees and charges currently charged by Congleton, Macclesfield and Crewe Borough Councils in relation to licensing functions and to consider the proposed fees for Cheshire East.

The Committee considered a report relating to the fees and charges currently charged by Congleton, Macclesfield and Crewe Borough Councils in relation to licensing functions and the proposed fees for Cheshire East.

Fees under the Licensing Act 2003 and certain fees under the Gambling Act 2005 were set by legislation.  The Gambling Act 2005 set a maximum fee level that the Council could impose in relation to gambling premises licences, and the Council had discretion to set the fee up to this level.  The Council also had discretion in relation to other ‘general’ licensing matters, including taxi licensing and the licensing of sex establishments.

In determining the level of fee to be set, in circumstances where the Council did have discretion, the Council had to take into account the cost of providing the service, to ensure that the fees were reasonable and related to cost recovery.

Different fees and charges were currently being charged by Congleton, Macclesfield and Crewe Borough Councils.  This would result in different charges being applied from 1 April 2009 within the administrative area of Cheshire East, which would be confusing and inequitable.  It was therefore proposed to harmonise fees and charges from 1 April 2009, and a revised charging structure for Cheshire East was proposed.  Fees had been calculated according to the number of hours needed to process each application and an estimated hourly rate of £50 per hour.  All charges would be subject to review during the budget setting process.

RESOLVED

(a)  That the fees to be charged in relation to functions with respect to gambling, street trading and sex establishments, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved

(b)  That the proposed fees in relation to private hire and hackney carriage licences, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved in order that they may be subject to statutory consultation.