SWOOP CENTRAL
WORST EVER SPOT CHECKS IN PENDLE AS 15 OF 16 TAXIS/PHVs FAIL AMID COUNCILLORS’ INFIGHTING
Fifteen out of 16 taxis that were stopped in a safety spot-check in Pendle failed to meet the required standards, a councillor has said - the worst ever results for this type of spot-check
said Kieran
McGladdery, chairman of Pendle Council’s Licensing Committee. He also highlighted new plans to improve the checks but there is some disagreement in Pendle about the ideas, the level of consultation and the way forward. Pendle Borough Council has been looking at making changes to taxi checks and licensing enforcement for some time. Various committees have considered the issues and the trade was consulted earlier this year. The borough’s taxi committee recently drew-up a new safety check-list and proposed penalties for taxi companies. These were then considered by the more senior Policy & Resources Committee (P&RC) in March. Cllr McGladdery said he was alarmed at the taxi spot checks. He said: “The spot checks involved council officers, VOSA engineers and the police escorting taxis to a garage for safety checks. This resulted in 15 of 16 vehicles failing the basic standards and being pulled off the road immediately. “Some of the failures I witnessed were five vehicles with major oil leaks. VOSA engineers said these could imminently burst into flames. “We also saw multiple vehicles with wheel nuts missing and one vehicle with the hand brake applied started rolling away. Elsewhere, various bulbs were out amongst other safety-critical failures.” The new licensing enforcement
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proposals include a check-list of faults and breaches. The breaches include dishonest statements from drivers or taxi firms, along with penalties ranging from penalty points to the loss of licences. A new app has also been suggested for drivers to use on phones. This would ensure drivers perform pre-shift safety checks by using GPS technology which detects movement and timings, and can also request photos. Cllr McGladdery added: “Cllr Neil Butterworth has attended the taxi committee for 16 years and cites regularly the long record of poor results. We have noted the impact of the pandemic on finances, however, safety is a priority. “The committee has tried hard this last 18-months to
introduce
voluntary policies and to steer the trade towards best practice, to turn results around. “Multiple working groups, meetings with the taxi trade and test garages have all taken place. But putting action plans in place has yielded no improvements, because the actions were not carried out. We’re now at a situation where it’s hard for it to get worse. When 15 from 16 taxis fail a spot check, there’s little scope for further decline. A death or serious injury is now a certainty.” A majority of Pendle councillors at the P&RC meeting decided to get the task-and-finish group to discuss the issues around vehicle safety standards with three taxi trade reps and one councillor from each of the Conservative, Labour and Lib-Dem groups and council officers. But they also said the trade
needs to bring forward concrete proposals on improving safety. Regarding different political groups at Pendle, Cllr McGladdery claimed Labour and Lib-Dem councillors had opposed or not supported the new taxi ideas yet had no alternatives. But this was rejected by the opposition groups. Labour Cllr Asjad Mahmood said: “It doesn’t surprise me that while Cllr McGladdery publicly says one thing, his own party leader and colleagues publicly disagree with his proposals. Maybe that’s why they supported my suggestion at the P&RC, to work with the trade and agree a framework for safer taxis. “It became clear at the P&RC that the recent taxi committee which Cllr McGladdery had run for the last two years hadn’t held a single meeting with the trade reps, which meant almost 80% of the trade disagreed with his proposal. “I look forward to working in a positive manner with everyone to improve safety. At the same time I’d suggest Cllr McGladdery consider his position with no support from his leadership.” Lib-Dem Cllr David Whipp said: “At the P&RC, it was the Conservative group leader who used his casting vote to defer action on taxis, after his group was split on the issue. “Labour councillors did propose deferring action for further consultation, which some Conservative councillors then supported. My vote against this is recorded in the minutes. “Frankly, Cllr McGladdery is twisting the truth beyond breaking point. It is his own group that has failed to get tough on taxi safety.”
APRIL 2023 PHTM
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