ROUND THE COUNCILS MIDLOTHIAN:
TINTED WINDOW RULE RELAXED
Midlothian Council has relaxed its strict rules on tinted windows, acknowledging concerns from local drivers. The previous regulations required taxi windows to meet a specific light transmission level, which often clashed with the factory-fitted windows of newer vehicles. This forced drivers to incur significant costs to replace the windows, as highlighted by the Midlothian Taxi Owners Association which argued that the stringent rules were
outdated and unnecessary. They
emphasised the financial burden and potential safety implications of replacing factory-fitted windows. In a letter to the council’s general purposes chairperson Cllr David Virgo, the association said: “We feel a relaxation of the strict vehicle window tinting requirements would form best practice and save operators money and improve safety. “We recently had an owner change the rear windows in their vehicle to meet requirements. This cost was in excess of £2,000. Unless you own a ‘window tint light meter’, then it’s often very difficult, if not impossible, to tell if windows
are compliant or not when
purchasing a vehicle for use as a private hire.” In response to these concerns, the council has adjusted the regulations. The new rules now require a minimum light transmission level of 65% for rear windows, excluding tailgate glass, a more lenient standard than the previous 70%. Councillors acknowledged the changing landscape of the taxi industry and the need for regulations to adapt to
modern vehicle designs. The committee unanimously approved the changes to the regulations.
YORK: COUNCIL REJECTS BLACK LIVERY POLICY
On 8 October City of York Council’s licensing and regulatory committee discussed draft proposals for the new licensing policy. These included a maximum age limit of 10 years for all petrol, diesel and hybrid taxis over 75g /km except WAVs which would have to be Euro VI or better, and that all hackneys should be black. At the full council meeting held on 21 November, Cllr Kate Ravilious, Executive Member for Transport, defended the broader policy aims, stating that the proposed changes aligned with national best practice and would enhance safety and environmental standards.
PHTM DECEMBER 2024
However, Arshad Mahmood, Chairman of York City Taxi Association (YCTA), argued that that the proposed changes would impose a significant financial burden on taxi drivers and that it was unreasonable to make all hackneys black to improve safety whilst there are no safety measures in place for the hundreds of out-of- town black PHVs regularly working in the city. When it came to the vote, 14 councillors voted in favour of black only hackney carriages, four abstained but 24 voted against and so the policy was rejected.
GWYNEDD: LICENSING PROCESS CHALLENGED
A former school bus driver, with a 42-year-old conviction for assault causing actual bodily harm, has been granted a taxi licence by Gwynedd Council’s general licensing sub-committee. The applicant, who was 18 years’ old at the time of the offence, had since been employed as a school bus driver for ten years, a role requiring trust and responsibility. During his application for a hackney/PH driver’s licence, the representative for the applicant challenged the council’s licensing process. He had asked why a hearing had had to be held, and why the council’s environment department did not have “delegated powers to approve the application” thus bypassing the need for a sub-committee, which meant “unnecessary costs to the taxpayer.” The applicant had been unemployed while waiting for a hearing and felt that the process was “unsuitable”. Responding, the council’s licensing manager noted that the Gwynedd Delegated Rights Scheme had “arrangements in place” whereby an application with any offence appearing on the applicants’ DBS would be presented to a sub-committee for a decision. It was “in accordance with the council’s constitution” that neither she nor the head of the environment department had the power to make a decision be that due to a historical conviction or otherwise”. However, the procedure and process were being reviewed with discussions taking place with the legal department to consider cases where a decision could be delegated. Any amendment to the Constitution would be presented to the Licensing Committee and to the Full Council. Despite the past conviction, the sub-committee granted the application and determined that the applicant was “a fit and proper person” to hold a 12- month hackney and private hire vehicle driver’s licence.
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