ROUND THE COUNCILS LEWES:


WOKING: CONSULTATION ON LICENSING CHANGES


Brighton taxi drivers have welcomed the news that drivers licensed in the Lewes district – but working for Uber in Brighton –may soon be required to fit CCTV cameras to their vehicles. At a meeting on Tuesday July 3, members of Lewes District Council’s licensing committee agreed to begin an eight-week consul- tation, which will seek views from taxi drivers and passen- gers on a number of potential changes, including CCTV. The lack of CCTV in Lewes vehicles has been a bugbear of Brighton taxi driv- ers, because since introducing regions, Uber encourages its drivers to get licens- es in Lewes, as it’s quicker, resulting in a flood of applica- tions there. Andy Peters, secre- tary of the GMB Brighton and Hove taxi branch, told the Brighton and Hove News: “A meeting between myself and the Unite represen- tative Sean Ridley on April 18 2018 with Lewes


District


Council raised the issue of Lewes being used as the lower end of


requirements


licensing for


drivers who have no intention of ever working in the dis- trict. “At the time of our meeting we were told that there was a backlog of around eight weeks as the council had been


22


flooded with appli- cations for licences since Uber had given out informa- tion that it was cheaper and quicker to obtain a licence there rather than in Brighton and Hove if the intention was to predominantly work in Brighton and Hove. “However we were informed thatthe current conditions of licensing were now being looked at with the view to a complete overhaul and this cannot come soon enough.” Council officers said mandatory use of CCTV cameras for PHVs may be intro- duced in light of increasing aware- ness of the issues around CSE. As well as promot- ing public safety, officers said CCTV would protect the livelihoods of drivers against false accu- sations and can also reduce insurance premiums. Councillors


also


asked whether exec- utive hire cars – vehicles hired for functions such as stretch limos or wedding cars – should be exempt from the CCTV requirement as is currently proposed. Councillors also dis- cussed changing the required


specifications


vehicle to


reflect the use of electric and modern hybrid engines. The maximum age of a vehicle applying for a first private hire licence could also


be set to fall from seven to five years, in an effort to reflect environmental con- cerns. Other changes pro- posed as part of the consultation include drivers attending training sessions on diversity and dis- ability awareness, as well as on CSE and safeguarding. The council is also looking at tighten- ing its medical testing


regime,


potentially requiring drivers aged bet- ween 45 and 65 to undergo a medical assessment every five years. Drivers over the age of 65 could


also be


required to undergo the same tests annually. The penalty for prospective


BATH & NE SOMERSET: NGLISH TEST MAY BE INTRODUCED


taxi


drivers found cheat- ing on a knowledge test is also set to increase, with the introduction of a three-year ban. Cur- rently a prospective driver found cheat- ing on the test will be barred from re- taking the test for one year only. The


committee


agreed to revisit the issues following the eight-week consul- tation process. Mmmm…Well, that’s one way to get CCTV into an area – by default! Also glad to hear that this council is “tighten- ing its medical testing regime” – by setting the correct intervals for medi- cals as laid down by the DVLA for Group 2 drivers. – Ed.


All aspiring taxi drivers in Bath and North East Somerset could soon have to pass an English test in order to obtain a licence as a a matter of “public safety”. SomersetLive ports


re- thatthe


speaking test would be compulsory for all new applicants following a review of the council’s taxi policy. A consultation about the review started on Monday July 16 and is set to last six weeks. During a licensing committee meeting the previous Wednesday mem- bers were also told the policy needed to be aligned with pro- posals for Bath’s Clean Air Plan - which could see an emission


charge


introduced in the city. The licensing com- mittee was told the English test would be part of the appli- cation process and


would be conducted over the telephone by an independent assessor. Cathryn Brown, en- vironmental pro- tection and licensing manager


for the


council, said: “Appli- cants will be asked a number of questions, which they will have to answer over the phone, and they will also be asked to con- struct a sentence.” “Each applicant will be given a score at the end and it will be either pass or fail.” Following the review taxi drivers will also have to undergo specialist training so they can spotthe signs that a child is being


sexually


exploited. Both hackney car- riage and private hire drivers will have to complete the training on safe- guarding children and CSE. Currently drivers who are on school


contracts have to complete


the training - but fol- lowing the review this would be rolled out


to all 600


drivers licensed by the authority. When the consulta- tion ends on Sep- tember 15 officers will prepare a report taking into account the responses and bring it to the licens- ing committee in October. Mmmm… Well, there’s another first. We were asked to comment on the pro- posed new policy document, which actually was one of the soundest and most legally accurate amongst those we’ve seen in many a year Now they say they will ask applicants questions OVER THE PHONE?? Did it not occur to them that someone else might be at the side of the applicant,


either


speaking on his/her behalf or providing the answers?! Unbe- lievable! – Ed.


AUGUST 2018 NEWLICENSING POLICIES


Woking Borough Council


recently


introduced changes to the current taxi and private hire licensing policy that will help prevent the sexual exploitation of children and vul- nerable adults. The changes have seen the introduc- tion of mandatory CSE training for new and existing taxi and private hire drivers


thatwill enable them to spot the signs of CSE and know how to report it. A new Surrey-wide approach to the licensing of drivers with convictions was also introduced that will remove the risk of a driver being refused or revoked by one local authori- ty, but potentially accepted by another. Existing and new


drivers will also be required to pass a BTEC Level 2 Certifi- cate Introduction to the Role of the Pro- fessional Taxi and Private Hire Driver qualification. This will ensure that taxi and private hire drivers in the bor- ough meet highest


the possible


professional stan- dards and deliver outstanding service.


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