CANNOCKCHASE:


Taxi drivers across Cannock will hold meetings to discuss controversial changes that will see them drugs-tested


and


banned from wearing hats. The Taxi Association for Cannock Chase has organised a string of meetings so drivers can have their say. Association chairman Steven Toy said ten forums had been organised in the dis- trict. He said drivers’ views would be col- lected before an all-important meeting with council bosses. “I am organising smaller meetings because there are so


many issues to thrash out,” Mr Toy told the Cannock and Rugeley Chronicle. Under the plans, Can- nock Chase Council will screen drivers for drink and drugs - and make them pay for the tests themselves. The local authority will also ask cabbies to let them know each time a hackney carriage is being used for “private leisure purposes”. Hats will be banned except for religious reasons. The council said it wanted to improve safety in the district and improve the service for passen- gers. But Will Rotchell, who


DRIVERSTOHOLDTALKSOVERDRUGSTEST PLAN


ROUNDTHE... OXFORD:


POLLUTINGTAXIS FACE EMISSIONSCURBS


runs Corky’s Cars, based in Cannock, said some of


the


changes could dam- age trade. He said his firm was seeking legal advice over the proposals. Terry Airey, 54, who runs Terry’s Taxis in Hednesford, said he supported the drugs testing but branded the hats ban as silly. A consultation has been launched and will close on August 31. Deputy council leader Councillor Janos Toth said: “We license the trade to make sure that residents get a safe service, so the views of taxi users are just as important.”


EAST HERTS: COUNCILVOWSTOREVIEWLICENSING


An in-depth review of the way East Herts Council licenses taxis will be launched after potential


dangers


were highlighted in several newspaper articles. The “high priority” review has been backed by senior councillors and offi- cers and will begin “as soon as possible”, said a report to a meeting of the council’s commu- nity scrutiny committee last month. Council scrutiny officer Marian Langley


suggested


that a task and finish group should look again at the authority’s licensing processes and procedures. The procedures al- lowed licences to be granted to wannabe cabbies including one who had racked up two drink driving offences in three years and one with an attempted abduction on record. Ms Langley said a review was needed following


“recent


press stories” and the PAGE 62


idea to create a group to gather evidence on the issue was support- ed by Committee members. Committee chairman Cllr Graham McAn- drew said he expected the group would speak to the police, taxi drivers and mem- bers of the council’s licensing committee as part of its investiga- tion. He told the East Herts Mercury: “We’re going to look at the whole process. The idea is to have a fresh look at it to make sure it’s rele- vant today. It’s always good to have a fresh look and make sure we’re on the right track.” The group - the mem- bership of which has not yet been formulat- ed - is expected to interview external and internal witnesses, visit other organisa- tions and carry out its own research. Once evidence has been gathered,


the


group is due to submit a report to a meeting of


the community scrutiny committee in Novem- ber. The report will draw conclusions and make recommenda- tions that the council’s licensing committee could then adopt under its devolved powers. Council


leader Cllr


Tony Jackson said: “The Mercury has high- lighted the issue, which has stimulated our thinking. It’s always a good thing to review aspects of the council’s business. I don’t think we’ve reviewed it for some years so it makes sense.” As well as highlighting the catalogue of con- victions East Herts cabbies have between them, the Mercury has also drawn attention to the risks posed by drivers who may have committed


crimes


abroad. Mmmm...Once again, hats off to Dan Peters of the Mercury, who has pursued these issues relentlessly. Good tim- ing, as it coincides with the Law Commission review. - Ed.


New measures to stop ageing taxis adding to pollution levels in Oxford will form part of a new clean air initia- tive. According to the Oxford Times, a move to rid the city of “dirty taxis”


has been


agreed by Oxford City Council and Oxford- shire County Council, in a package that will also see buses in Oxford having their emissions


legally


capped to cut pollu- tion. County Hall has agreed to apply for a legal limit on emis- sions as part of joint plans with the city council to create a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ). The councils


say the crackdown on cabs will be designed to ensure they meet the same standards as buses. With green buses and coach fleets being introduced by the Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach, an investigation is to be held into pollution from taxis. A county council report said: “Taxis and private hire vehicles enjoy many of


the


same benefits as buses in Oxford, such as access to most traf- fic-restricted streets and use of bus lanes and bus gates.


would be appropriate for the same emis- sions standards to apply to all vehicles


enjoying those bene- fits.” The city council is now investigating options about how best


to


impose emission con- trols on both taxis and licensed private hire vehicles. Ibrar Mohammed, manager of Oxford- based Royal Cars, said many taxis in the city already met Euro- pean


emission It


standards and said the company was testing hybrid cars. However, one cabbie, who declined to be named, said he feared the emission cap would be unfair, because it would not apply to cabs coming into the city from other areas.


BOURNEMOUTH: SEATING INLICENSEDMPVS RESTRICTED


How many people can you get in a taxi? Well, it appears the answer to that depends on where you get your taxi licence from. Taxi driver Nader Sadeghi, 62, has been forced to downgrade his seven-seater Vaux- hall Zafira to a four-seater by town hall


officials Bournemouth in be-


cause it “doesn’t meet their minimum require- ments”. This is despite the fact car giant Vauxhall say the Zafira can carry seven adults and both East Dorset District Council and the Bor- ough of Poole award it a six-passenger


li-


cence. Nader Sadeghi, 62, spent £12,000 of his pension savings on a Zafira to enable him to gain more business. He took his paperwork to the taxi licensing department at Town Hall in Bournemouth last autumn and was handed a licence plate


stating his vehicle could take six passen- gers. Mr Sadeghi, who has been driving a taxi in Bournemouth since 2004, said business picked up until he enquired with the Town Hall about put- ting a roof rack on his car and was informed they had made a mis- take and his car could only take four passen- gers. “I could not believe this. On Friday and Saturday nights in Bournemouth town people demand seven seaters and I can’t take them because the licensing department will only let me carry four,” he told the Bournemouth Daily Echo. Mr Sadeghi appealed to the Town Hall four months ago but has not heard anything. Keith Evans, licensing officer at Bourne- mouth Borough Coun- cil, said: “We are aware of Mr Sadeghi’s


case. An error was made as he was given the incorrect licence plate and we would like to apologise to him for this mistake on our part. “We don’t grant seven- seater taxi licences to taxi drivers with Zafira cars because the two seats at the back of these


cars are


designed as children seats. “They therefore don’t provide enough space for all passengers and don’t meet our mini- mum requirements for passenger seat space.” Mmmm… Here we go again… yet another council


against the DfT Best Practice guidance by limiting the seating capacity of licensed MPVs. And yet anoth- er council that messes up livelihoods by issu- ing a licence “by mistake” and then tak- ing it away. Hopefully the Law Commission review will stop this – Ed.


PHTM AUGUST 2012


that goes


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