DEREG DILEMMA
MAIDENHEAD DRIVERS PROTEST OVER POSSIBLE DEREGULATION
Cabbies demonstrat- ed in Maidenhead last month over Royal Bor- ough plans to change a licensing policy. Hackney carriage driv- ers were protesting because the council is considering
deres-
tricting the number of hackney
carriage
licences in the borough. Private hire drivers have submitted a peti- tion to the council asking for deregulation as they feel anyone
should be able to obtain a hackney plate. The Maidenhead News reports that the demon- stration, which was heavily policed, started at 8am (when?) and caused some delays on the roads around the town centre. Hack- ney carriage drivers gathered outside the town hall holding plac- ards and chanting ‘we want justice’ and ‘no more taxis’. Waheed Azam, organ-
iser and Royal Bor- ough Taxi Association representative, said he thought about 50 driv- ers had taken part, adding he felt
the
demonstration had gone very well. He thanked Thames Valley Police for its assistance but warned that if the council did not listen to drivers’ point of view they would consider demon- strating
at Olympics. REPORT COULD LEAD TO A REDUCTION IN BRIGHTON LICENCES
Brighton and Hove drivers and users across the city are cur- rently being asked how often licensed hackney carriages are used. When it reports back to Brighton and Hove City Council in Octo- ber, the private firm will give a recom- mended figure for the number of cabs the city needs. It could ultimately lead to a reduction in the num- ber of licences issued. However,
cabbies
have said it does not require research to see that usage has gone down in the city in recent months. According to the Breighton Argus, the local authority refused to say how much it had
paid an independent firm to carry out the research, claiming it was
“commercially
sensitive.” But town hall documents indi- cate it is about £20,000. Andy Cheesman, of City Cabs, said the money was paid for by the drivers out of their annual licence fees. The council has previ- ously admitted that in areas where restric- tions are in place vehicle licence plates command a premium, often of tens of thou- sands of pounds. In Brighton and Hove there are 540 hackney carriages and about 460 PHVs. There are 1,157 hack- ney carriage licensed drivers and 586 private
hire licensed drivers. A council spokesman said there was nothing to stop the authority from trying to reduce taxi numbers. When the survey was last carried out three years ago it recommended increas- ing the numbers by five cabs a year. Information is being gathered though face- to-face
interviews,
visiting ranks and look- ing at other areas. A survey has also been sent to drivers asking questions on fares, the age of their vehicles and safety. A council spokesman said: “We will wait until we have the results of the survey before con- sidering what actions if any should be taken.”
the BID TO RESTRICT PEMBROKE TAXIS FAILS
There will be no limit placed on the number of taxis operating in Pembrokeshire des- pite drivers saying they are ‘at their wits’ end’ struggling to survive. Taxi driver Gary Slack had asked Pem- brokeshire County Council’s
licensing
committee to consider restricting the number of taxis. To do so, the authority would have to be satisfied that there was no signifi- cant unmet demand by carrying out a survey, which would cost more than £15,000, the
committee was told. According to the West- ern Telegraph, Mr Slack said there had been a lot of tension over the number of taxis on the road and the way they were parking. Mr Slack added that if drivers were unable to earn more money and provide an adequate service,
the public
could be put at risk. “We need to have something to see if there is an over-supply of taxis on the road, which we think there is,” he said.
Councillors heard that the Law Commission was currently looking into how the existing regime functioned, but findings were not expected to be pub- lished until the end of 2013. Cllr Tony Brinsden pro- posed the council maintain the status quo ‘for the time being’, tak- ing into account of the fact that the Law Com- mission’s consultation would be reporting in around 18 months. The committee voted unanimously to leave things as they are.
MAYOR BACKS LIVERPOOL CABBIES FIGHT AGAINST RULE CHANGES
Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson has backed a fight against rule changes which city cabbies say threaten their livelihoods. One of the Law Com- mission’s key pro- posals is to take away the power of councils to limit the number of taxis in their areas and allow drivers to use vehicles other than the traditional hackney carriages. It is feared that would lead to Liverpool’s streets being flooded with taxis and would see a fall in the num- ber of WAVs. There are currently 1,470 black cabs in Liv-
erpool - the highest of any city outside Lon- don - driven by around 4,000 licensed drivers. Last month two offi- cials from the Law Commission came to Liverpool to meet with Mayor Anderson and cabbie Tony Mullane, who is national secre- tary for the National Taxi Trades Group. Mr Mullane, who oper- ates four black cabs in Liverpool, told the Liv- erpool Echo: “Liver- pool Council has had a long-standing policy of having WAVs and a limit on numbers. “They justify that because they believe the drivers have to
earn a certain amount of money to be able to reinvest into the trade. “Mayor Anderson met with the Commission and told them if it was delimited, it would hit drivers who had paid good money for their plates. “The Law Commission has also had com- plaints from disabled groups saying wheel- chair provision is very poor. But Liverpool has the best - we have 100 per cent accessi- ble fleet.” A spokesman for Mayor Anderson said he had expressed his “concern” to the Law Commission.
PAGE 30
PHTM AUGUST 2012
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80
