Solihull Licensing

Driver's please be aware.....

Please take note of our opening times over the festive period and ensure your badges and plates are renewed. Merry Christmas! 😊

Solihull Council is introducing ‘School Streets’ to three locations across the borough. From September certain roads around Marston Green Infant Academy, Haslucks Green Junior School and at Oak Cottage Primary School will have limited access to traffic at the start and end of the school day. Further information on the scheme and how it may affect you can be found here: www.solihull.gov.uk/schoolstreets

Licensed Drivers - Please remember any conviction, criminal or motoring MUST be reported to Licensing within 7 days. Please refer to your licensing conditions for more information. You can notify us in writing, by email, phone or in person.

Read about what Solihull Licensing got up to during National Licensing Week. http://www.solihullgetinvolved.co.uk/…/ national-licensing-…/

STREET TRADING
Street trading is defined as the selling, exposing or offering for sale any article in any street, road, footway or other area to which the public have access without payment. Examples of this can be seen on the High Street in Solihull Town Centre. Street Trading Consents are governed under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982. Street trading from lay-bys is not permitted within the Solihull Borough.
When an application for a street tradi...ng consent is received there is a consultation period of 21 days in which members of the public and various statutory bodies can comment/object against the application. After the consultation period has ended the application is then placed before the Licensing Sub Committee for them to make a decision on whether to grant or refuse the application. Various factors are taken into consideration at the hearing such as public safety, public order, avoidance of public nuisance and needs of the area.
The street trading consent scheme means that traders are checked, insured and monitored so you can buy with confidence. Traders who are selling food must have a Food Hygiene Certificate and their stalls/trailers are inspected by the Food Safety Team.
Trading as a pedlar, selling periodicals such as the Big Issue and selling from a registered market are exempt from the need for a street trading consent.
Shops displaying their own merchandise on the pavement outside the shop front do not need a street trading consent, but may need to get a licence for a trade display from the Highways team.
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THE ROLE OF THE TAXI MARSHALS
Solihull Council has implemented a Taxi Marshal Scheme in Solihull Town Centre that has now been running for the past 12 years. The Taxi Marshals are located outside the Hackney Carriage Rank by ‘The Walkabout’ and outside the Private Hire pick up point outside the Assembly Rooms both on Poplar Road Solihull. Taxi Marshals are also located in the layby on New Road by the Mason Arms. The Taxi Marshals work the early of Saturday and Sunday mornings....
The role of the Taxi Marshals is to control taxi queues preventing disorder and reducing the risk of road traffic accidents, help prevent illegal private hire activity, protect vulnerable persons and ensure the safety of the public. They provide an additional high visibility presence in the night time economy. The Taxi Marshals are all licensed by the Security Industry Authority (SIA).
The Taxi Marshals work closely with Solihull Council and West Midlands Police, in order to ensure the efficient running of the scheme. Taxi Marshals are able to communicate any problems that they witness via the Radio-Link scheme to the CCTV control room, West Midlands Police and other security staff and can play a vital role in the reduction of crime in Solihull Town Centre. They also wear body-cams that can record incidents that occur while they are on duty.
Confrontation can occur when Private Hire Drivers operate illegally by touting for business (more commonly known as 'plying for hire'), stop to pick up fares causing obstruction or operating without a valid licence. It is the responsibility of the Taxi Marshals to prevent such activity and report any offenders to Solihull Council and ensure that the right passengers get into their booked Private Hire Vehicles.
Confrontation may also occur when individuals or groups of people behave in an unsociable manner in taxi queues, so the Taxi Marshals help to keep these queues orderly. This type of behavior has to be defused quickly in order to prevent violence and public disorder. Such disorder in a taxi queue can result in anything from physical assault to a road traffic accident if not controlled. The Taxi Marshals may also need to step in when a driver refuses a fare if a passenger is too drunk, being abusive, or the passengers have no means to pay for the journey. Customers need to be aware that when they are attempting to enter a licensed vehicle, they must:-
• Not be excessively drunk • Not be violent • Not be abusive • Not eat • Not drink • Not smoke • Know their destination and relay such information to the driver • Have the required finances to pay for the journey.
The Taxi Marshals have proven to be highly effective in reducing illegal ‘pick ups’, moving on Private Hire Vehicles, controlling taxi queues, improving the safety of vulnerable persons/ members of the public and dealing with confrontational situations. #NLW2017
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Door step visitors
Have you been asked to buy goods on the doorstep or been asked and possibly pressured to make a charity donation? People going from house to house on foot, carrying their wares to sell are classed as Pedlars and need to have a Pedlars certificate from the local police. To get a Pedlars certificate you need to have lived in the local authority area for at least 28 days and be over 17 years of age. These certificates are valid for 12 months and have a photogr...aph of the holder. Certificates are not transferable and if you work without a certificate you commit an offence.
People may ask you to donate cash goods or clothing, often on your doorstep with a collecting tin, by envelopes or plastic bags for clothes or other items to be collected later. To give or not to give is a personal choice, but not all who ask for donations are collecting on behalf of a charity.
An organisation does not have to be a charity to carry out a collection. Non charitable collections are not regulated and are usually carried out for business or for private profit. Charitable collections are regulated and collectors need a permit unless they are an exempt organisation. There are two types of exemption, a Home Office exemption which is granted to larger organisations and a local exemption which is granted a local collection to be completed in a short time period.
Charitable means that the proceeeds go to a charity or a similar good cause. Bogus collectors usually provide information that is misleading or missrepresentitive and claim that the organisation that they are collecting on behalf of is a charity when it is not or proceeds from the collection will go to charity but in fact go to a private business or individual. Some of the larger charities have collection policys in place that detail how any money raised will be used. House to House collections for a charity or other such like good causes require a permit from the Licensing authroity. The applicant must include the names of any people who will be authroised collectors collecting on behalf of the charity. In Solihull street collections take place on Saturdays, one per area of the borough. House to House collections run from Sunday to Saturday. #NLW2017
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Taking a holiday without your pet? Pet Sitting in your own home & Dog Walking services are an option, but they do not need a licence and are therefore not regulated. It's worth asking around the doggy community for personal recommendations to help you make your choice.

With this lovely weather we are having, thoughts and plans are naturally turning towards Summer holidays.
If you are a dog owner,entrusting the care of your dog to someone else while you go on holiday is a big step, so for peace of mind, it is worth a little time and research to help you find just the right place for him to enjoy his own holiday whilst you are away.
There are 2 types of business licenced to take doggy boarders, Home Boarders & Boarding Kennels. Although very different in style, to be granted a licence they will both have been inspected to ensure they conform to the relevant standards and are appropriately insured.

This week is National Licensing Week, and today is all about the role Licensing plays in Tourism & Leisure. Stay tuned for updates throughout the day to find out more about this diverse area of our work.

Please don't use Facebook to report complaints or make general enquiries, please email licensing@solihull.gov.uk or call 0121 704 6830