The Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2009

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

These Regulations amend the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) (Fees) Regulations 1995 (“the principal Regulations”). The principal Regulations prescribe fees, in relation to the licensing of operators of goods vehicles, under the Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995. These Regulations amend these fees.

The simple fee changes (straightforward increase or decrease) made by regulation 2(5), together with the percentage of the increase or decrease, are shown in the table below. The fees were last increased on 1st August 2008.

	OLD FEE	NEW FEE	PERCENTAGE INCREASE/ DECREASE
Fee with licence application or application for a licence variation	£238	£250	5.0%
Fee for the issue of a licence	£372	£391	5.1%
Fee for the continuation in force of a licence	£372	£391	5.1%
Fee for the issue of an interim licence or interim direction	£63	£66	4.8 %
Additional charge for motor vehicles specified under an interim licence under section 24(1) or an interim direction under section 25(1)	£12	£6	-50%

Vehicle related charges are reduced to an amount equal to £2 per vehicle, per month or part thereof in respect of the period up to and including 31st March 2010 (regulation 2(5)(d) and (e)). After that date, those fees are abolished (regulation 4).

The Regulations contain a number of transitional provisions in relation to the fees chargeable for the issuing and variation of licences and interim licences and the giving of interim directions (regulation 3(1)). Their effect is that the fees payable remain those set under the principal Regulations, without the amendments made by these Regulations, where the relevant decision is made before the coming into force of these Regulations.

If, however, the licence holder had elected to pay vehicle related charges by way of annual payments before the coming into force of these Regulations and a payment is due before 1 April 2010, that payment will be £2 per vehicle, per month or part thereof, for the period beginning with the first day of the month the payment falls due and ending on 31st March 2010. No further vehicle related charges will be due after that date (regulation 3(2)).

Fees payable for the continuation of a licence and charges for the vehicles specified in the continued licence are charged at the new fee rates, where the last date for payment has not yet passed (regulations 3(4) and (5)).

A full impact assessment of the effect that this instrument will have on the costs of business and the voluntary sector is available from the VOSA Corporate Office, Berkeley House, Croydon Street, Bristol BS5 0DA. The impact assessment is also annexed to the Explanatory Memorandum which is available alongside the instrument on the OPSI website at www.opsi.gov.uk.