ROUND THE COUNCILS ROTHERHAM:
DEVON: NEW RULES FOR OUT-OF-TOWN PHVs
Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council (RMBC) is set to review its licensing policy, and will introduce new rules to tackle a “proliferation” of out-of-town private hire drivers operating in the borough so there are “no unacceptable risks to public safety”. If approved, operators must inform the customer when accepting a booking that it will be sub- contracted to another private hire operator A report said drivers are moving away from local firms and are working for firms that have licences to operate in a number of different districts. Firms in Rotherham are reporting a decrease in the number of drivers, and they are looking at other options to enable them to fulfil bookings. “The proliferation of out-of-town vehicles is concerning, not least because this activity undermines the standards that are set by the council’s hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy, “ adds the report. “It is essential that private hire operator licence holders are competent in the operation of their business and have appropriate safeguards in place”. It said drivers licensed elsewhere are benefiting from an ‘unfair commercial advantage due to lower operational costs’. Obtaining a licence elsewhere could save a driver up to £3,000, due to tighter regulations in Rotherham, such as newer vehicles being required as well as CCTV. In a bid to ensure that operators ‘meet the high expectations that the council and the residents of Rotherham have of them’, additional conditions will be attached to operator licences for private hire vehicles. These include informing the customer that a booking will be sub contracted, and keeping detailed records of each booking. RMBC will also take into account a wider range of an applicant’s previous convictions, including motoring offences, illegal drug offences, and offences relating to discrimination, public safety and immigration. More vehicles may also be granted a licence, as the council proposes to remove the current limit of 52 hackney carriages able to operate at any one time – on the provision that new hackneys are wheelchair- accessible. The policy will be presented to cabinet in December, and implemented immediately if approved.
PHTM DECEMBER 2023 RANK ALTERATION PLANS
Taxi drivers are to be given a say on proposals that could impact ranks across East Devon. Proposals have been put forward to relocate, remove or alter 17 ranks in towns including Exmouth, Seaton, Honiton and Ottery St Mary. They are overseen by district councils, but these changes have been suggested by Devon County Council (DCC) as part of its responsibility for roads. East Devon’s licensing committee heard about various proposed changes, which include removing Ottery St Mary’s sole dedicated taxi rank space, taking one taxi rank space from Exmouth’s Victoria Road to turn it into a disabled parking bay for a nearby children and young person’s organisation, and preventing other drivers stopping in Honiton’s taxi rank. Cllr Peter Faithful questioned the rationale of removing the town’s sole taxi space. “I’ve been approached by the local taxi driver who wants to use the rank in Mill Street, so I’d like to know why it has been suggested that we no longer deserve a taxi rank in Ottery, as we’ve only got one,” he said. Cllr Roy Collins also queried the rationale behind the proposal to change part of Honiton’s taxi rank from no waiting to no stopping for members of the public. “We have one long taxi rank in the centre of town and to propose no stopping at any time will cause a lot of hardship. There’s nowhere else that you can safely pick someone up or drop them off,” he said. Cllr Collins said he had spoken to taxi drivers in the town who were happy for people in the town to pick people up and drop them off at the rank. In relation to one of the proposed changes in Exmouth, Cllr Steve Gazzard said removing a space from the town’s Victoria Road rank could create problems at night. “There are already disabled bays on the other side of the road to the rank, and I worry that if there is one less space for taxis there, you’ll get a situation in the evenings where taxis are going round in circles trying to find a space to park, especially as the rank there already gets heavily congested,” he said. The committee agreed to DCC’s suggestion of a consultation with the district’s taxi drivers, including the East Devon Taxi Association, who will now have until 8 January to submit their views. These comments will be scrutinised by East Devon’s licensing committee in February, with approved changes then subject to a 28-day period for the public to comment.
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