The Executive Director for Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report which gave details of a new Caravan Site Licensing Fit & Proper Person Determination policy and Caravan Site Licensing Fit & Proper Person Fees policy for approval.  The following documents were attached to the report:

Appendix RS-1 – Caravan Site Licensing: Fit & Proper Person Determination Policy

Appendix RS-2 – Caravan Site Licensing: Fit & Proper Person Fees Policy

Appendix RS-3 - Climate Impact Assessment

The report explained that The Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020 required the manager of residential caravan sites (referred to as relevant protected sites) to be a fit and proper person to the satisfaction of the local authority, and made it an offence for an occupier of land to cause or permit any part of their land to be used as a relevant protected site without such a fit and proper person, among other offences.  Licence fees for caravan site activities would be set locally and must be applied to the administration and enforcement costs, only.

The report further explained that those applying to be on the register of fit and proper persons were required to show that they were able to secure the proper management of the site; demonstrating, amongst other things, a history of compliance with the site licence, a good history of maintenance of the site, that they had a sufficient level of competence to manage the site and that they had not been convicted of a number of offences the regulations deemed relevant.  Following a successful application, a person may be added to the fit and proper register for a period of no longer than five years. The Council might also decide to include a person on the register subject to conditions if it would only be satisfied that the relevant person would meet the fit and proper requirement if the condition(s) were complied with.  The Council was required to publish a fees policy if it wished to charge fees for these applications and the Council would be charging a fee to cover the costs incurred in the administration and enforcement of the scheme.

The report noted Caravan site licensing was a very small area of work in Reading, with the Council only having issued four site licences.  All site owners had submitted their applications to be on the register of fit and proper persons, which would be determined following agreement of the policy.

Resolved –

That the new Caravan Site Licensing Fit & Proper Person Determination policy and Caravan Site Licensing: Fit & Proper Person Fees policy, as attached to the report at Appendix RS-1 and Appendix RS-2, respectively, be approved for implementation with immediate effect.