ROUND THE COUNCILS NEWPORT:
MORE CRIMINAL RECORD CHECKS
Taxi drivers in Newport will face more criminal record checks under new rules designed to improve safety. Owners of taxi firms will also have to pass a “fit and proper test” and comply with Welsh rules on CCTV in vehicles if they are to continue trading in the city. The measures form part of Newport City Council’s updated policy for taxi and private hire vehicles. Drivers will have to provide the results of a DBS check every six months, either by signing up for an automatic update service or applying for their own checks. The council’s licensing team will have to carry out 3,000 checks each year, compared to the current 500 it performs annually. A report noted this could “impact on [the] workload of the team” but will “enhance the authority’s ability to promote public safety”. Taxi and PHV owners will be subject to annual DBS checks as well as the “fit and proper” requirements. Other planned policy reforms have been dropped or softened following a “well-attended” meeting with members of the trade last September. Generally, the council will only grant new licences for vehicles which meet Euro 6 standards. However, wheelchair accessible taxis of Euro 4 standards will be accepted to maintain WAV numbers. Taxi drivers were also successful in overturning a plan to legally require them to undertake a booking they had accepted “unless there is a good reason”. The council said there had been increased reports of drivers cancelling jobs, “causing frustration and significant safeguarding concerns”. But the council accepted drivers’ “strong opposition” to the plan.
BRIDGEND: INCREASING MOT GARAGES PROPOSAL
Discussions have taken place over the future of taxi MOT testing in Bridgend County Borough. Currently testing in the area is undertaken at BCBC’s in-house vehicle maintenance garage, Ty Thomas. It works with local taxi companies which require an enhanced taxi compliance check on top of their standard MOT certificate. The site is also shared with South Wales Police, and was said to have brought in £49,785 worth of income
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from taxi fees in the last year. However, in November 2022, the licensing committee received a petition from the trade with 170 signatures, with the aim to open up taxi testing to other MOT garages. It led to the management board at Ty Thomas discussing an “early exit” from the taxi testing agree- ment, though it was later confirmed that the existing arrangement would run until March 2025. Officers said they would begin a feasibility study at the beginning of the next financial year to look at opening up taxi MOT testing in the area, with a number of options on the table including: allowing taxi companies to obtain a MOT Certificate from any MOT testing station; selecting an approved number of testing stations; or maintaining the current in- house arrangements as they stand.
WILTSHIRE: RANKS SET FOR SHAKE UP IN REVIEW
Wiltshire Council will be carrying out a review of taxi ranks in major towns across the county to assess the accessibility of the sites. This comes after recent government guidance placed an emphasis on accessible transport for the 13.9 million disabled people across the UK. The new taxi and private hire vehicle licensing guidance states: “Disabled people are particularly reliant on taxi and private hire vehicle services, either because they may not have access to a private car, are unable to use public transport, or because the built environment is insufficiently accessible to meet their needs. “This can mean that the availability of an accessible, affordable taxi or private hire vehicle service can make the difference that allows them to live their life the way they want to, and ultimately, to fulfil their potential.” As a result of this update, Wiltshire’s taxi licensing team will be undertaking a review of the ranks whilst assessing accessibility issues such as dropped kerbs and shelters. Councillors were told about the plans in the latest licensing committee meeting on Monday, March 4. Tom Ince, Wiltshire Council’s Principal Compliance Officer, said that this review would also consider how to implement electric vehicle charging points. He described the electrification of Wiltshire’s taxi fleet as a “big challenge.”
APRIL 2024 PHTM
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