Issue - meetings

A report from the Executive Director (Corporate Core) is attached.

The Executive Director (Corporate Core) submitted a report to propose that the Council's policy in relation to written-off vehicles be amended to permit the licensing of Category N and S vehicles (non-structural damage and structural damage), subject to appropriate independent inspection and certification requirements.

The Licensing Unit Manager presented the item and explained that there was a small error contained within the report and option two stated on pages 18 and 29 should be amended to read option three.

The available options were presented to the Committee:-

• Amend the Council policy to permit Category N vehicles to be licensed in Bury where the proprietor provides a report by a Member or Associate Member of the Institute of Automotive Engineer Assessors. Where the engineer identifies concerns relating to wheel alignment, chassis geometry, suspension integrity or structural repair quality, officers may require an Autolign inspection before the application is determined.
• Amend the Council policy to permit Category N and Category S vehicles to be licensed in Bury where the proprietor provides a report by a Member or Associate Member of the Institute of Automotive Engineer Assessors. Where the engineer identifies concerns relating to wheel alignment, chassis geometry, suspension integrity or structural repair quality, officers may require an Autolign inspection before the application is determined.
• Amend the Council policy to permit Category S vehicles to be licensed in Bury where the proprietor provides a report by a Member or Associate Member of the Institute of Automotive Engineer Assessors. Where the engineer identifies concerns relating to wheel alignment, chassis geometry, suspension integrity or structural repair quality, officers may require an Autolign inspection before the application is determined.
• Retain the current policy which prevents the licensing of any vehicle that has been recorded as a write-off category.

Members discussed that some local authorities just accept category N vehicles and not both S and N along with the need for high standards of engineering repair work.

A discussion was also held on what the written off categories mean in terms of repair work required and how these sit under government standards.

Delegated decision:

That the Licensing and Safety Committee agreed to:-

(1)  Note the outcomes of the review and benchmarking exercise.

(2)  Noted the trade consultation responses received.

(3)  Approved Option 3 to permit the licensing of Category N and Category S insurance write-off vehicles subject to the safeguards outlined in this report.

(4)  Recommended adoption of the revised policy by Full Council.