ROUND THE COUNCILS
NORTH NORTHANTS: TAXI ZONES UNDER REVIEW
A consultation has been launched to review the existing taxi zones across North Northants. Earlier in 2023, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive approved a consultation to consider whether the four current zones should be retained or replaced with one zone for North Northamptonshire. When North Northamptonshire Council was formed, for the purposes of taxi licensing, the previous former authority area zones were retained: Corby, East Northamptonshire, Kettering and Wellingborough. Each zone continues to license its own taxis and drivers as well as operate to the byelaws currently in existence for that former area. It also means that a driver and vehicle wishing to operate across the whole of North Northamptonshire would need to obtain four licences. Talks have begun on whether to keep the four zones or replace them with just one zone covering the whole area. North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) said it “made sense” to look at it. BBC News reports that hackney carriage drivers claim a new enlarged taxi zone would be unworkable because they would struggle to learn all the streets. Neil Reilly, a taxi driver in Corby since 2013, said he already had “a detailed knowledge of Corby” but warned that “to do the knowledge test of North Northamptonshire” meant having to memorise a “vastly massive” area covering 382 sq miles (989 sq km). He said: “There’s no way that we’re going to possibly know all the independent parks, streets, nooks and crannies of East Northants, Wellingborough, Kettering.” He said the geographical knowledge test needed for a licence was “just not going to be passable”. There are 228 hackney carriages licensed in North Northamptonshire, with half working in Corby. Taxi driver Ian Robb said: “There’s absolutely no logic to it. You don’t have a streets test in a certain zone, expand the size of the zone and then expect everybody to be able to work in those areas. It’s just farcical.” David Brackenbury, the council’s executive member for growth and regeneration said: “The proposal is to remove the former authority area HC zones and to replace them with one HC zone for North Northants. It makes sense to look and consider whether this a viable option, but there are also a variety of elements to consider and to do this - we need the views of residents, stakeholders, including those who use
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taxis and drivers.” The council said current government guidance advises against the continuation of hackney carriage zones to remove any confusion for customers and to increase efficiency. The consultation runs until 24 January and can be found here:
https://northnorthants.citizenspace.com/cet/nn- hackey-carriage-de-zoning-and-byelaw-review/
EASTLEIGH: LIVERY RESTRICTIONS LIFTED
The operator details from the private hire vehicle livery condition have been removed by Eastleigh Administration Committee at a meeting on Tuesday 21 November.
TONBRIDGE & MALLING: TAXIS TO TAKE CARD PAYMENTS
Taxis operating in Tonbridge and Malling will have to take card payments and will be barred from refusing to take passengers on short journeys as part of a package of changes approved by councillors. The updates to the borough’s licensing policy mean drivers refusing to take passengers or charging more than the meter will be liable to receive penalty points on their taxi licence and a two-week suspension. More than 80 responses to a two-month consultation, including feedback from local taxi drivers, helped inform the new regulations. A recommendation to make CCTV mandatory in every taxi was deferred to undertake further research. Des Keers, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services, said: “We thank everyone who took part in this consultation as the comments we received were very constructive. “The updated regulations are testament to our commitment to enhancing the taxi service in Tonbridge and Malling and will ensure our local taxi fleet delivers for residents and visitors.” The changes to the policy came into effect on 1 December 2023. One change that might be less welcome to forgetful passengers is the length of time cabbies will be required to hold on to lost property left in their cabs before disposal – reduced from 12 months to two months.
DECEMBER 2023 PHTM
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