TROUBLE BREWING IN LANCASTER NPHTA RESPONSE:
Unlawful to make a profit! Lower the standards – increase the cost!
Reading through the information and looking at the images as shown, it is indeed a very cheap option for a top-sign! It is not an aerodynamically shaped design, there’s a huge risk it may come off at high speed causing an accident and it’s also an extremely poor design. Further, the blue stickers on the sides, which when lit up, could be mistaken as a blue light, which could be deemed to be an offence of impersonating the emergency services.
The impersonal effect – who is picking you up?
Not only that, there seems to be a misunderstanding here of how the industry works in real life. To clarify: taxi and private hire vehicles are NOT owned or maintained by the local authority,
they are purchased by
independent business owners, with a view to being identifiable in a crowd as being that brand, that company or even that driver.
Removing this identification, branding or USP (unique selling point), undermines the very nature of the independence here; they may all need to display plates and door signage to verify being correctly licensed, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere in order to be seen to encourage local businesses to develop and grow. This is not an option, this is actually a duty placed upon the local authority under the Regulators’ Code 2014.
The regulators code 2014 – duty to actively engage!
Since we have now touched on the burden placed upon the “regulator” (the council), this includes the burden or duty under section 2.1 of the Regulators’ Code to “actively engage with those they regulate and those who represent them”; but what does “actively engage with” mean? Can it be a link on a council’s website which is deemed to be “consultation”? Could it be a letter sent to drivers, asking them to log into some portal, or “email” answers which may or may not be considered? Or is it the act of sitting down together, having a coffee, discussing things in a professional manner in order to gain informed and time-served opinions from the professionals? In fact, we would suggest that it is all of the above, since some local drivers, operators, and of course stakeholders, may have a different opinion to those sat around the table, some may prefer to email in, some may prefer to write in, so all options must be open.
PHTM APRIL 2023
As we all know, the local authority may not make a profit from licensing fees, nor can they make use of income from hackney carriage licensing to subsidise any other council department, not even the private hire sector of licensing, each section of the department must be cost neutral.
So, if we look at this sign, as quoted around £30 to buy direct from the suppliers (it may actually be less looking at the image shown) compared to the far superior quality top lights that can be sourced from other recognised trade suppliers at around £55 which are bigger, streamlined with stronger magnets and built for the purpose. NPHTA wonders why this council is sourcing the top sign and charging £100 every year built in to the licence fee, for a one time supply?
We very much look forward to a response from the council on this point!
Who would suggest such a thing?
I do recall another local authority adopting a similar policy back in 2017, whereby they were going to supply (and actually pay for) the top sign, with the council logos at the top,
front and back and the vehicle’s
licence number on each side. The vehicle owner could submit their own wording or numbers for the bottom, front and rear. But the suggested sign was much better quality and actually fit for purpose. However, when the policy was adopted, all other aspects that were included in the new policy, which were at a cost to the driver / vehicle owner, were introduced and actioned, but for some strange reason, not one of the new signs ever appeared.
Listen to your licensees!
The beauty of a healthy working relationship and active engagement with your local trade is that members get to understand why you have such ideas and where those ideas might work. They can help, they can provide contacts and suppliers and assist in rolling out new policies. Where those ideas may be damaging to the trade and more likely to fail, those with experience in the industry can see it and explain it to you in ways that you could never imagine, since they understand the actual role, and how it works at street level.
WORK WITH YOUR LOCAL TRADE! A UNIFIED TRADE IS A POWERFUL VOICE.
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