ROUND THE COUNCILS SHROPSHIRE:
LEICESTER: UNION FLAG RULE CHANGED
A ban on Union Flags being displayed in taxis and PHVs in Shropshire will be lifted following changes to licensing rules. A vote held at Shropshire Council’s strategic licensing committee on 11 January, approved changes which will allow taxi drivers in the county to display one Union Flag on their vehicle, provided it meets the authority’s size and placing requirements. Last year, John Brockhurst, owner of Basil’s Taxi based in Market Drayton, was told to remove a large cross of St George from his vehicle because it broke licensing rules prohibiting the displaying of national flags on taxis and PHVs. A motion to lift the ban was carried at the committee, with one vote against and one abstention. Green Party councillor, Mike Isherwood, had argued against the proposals, calling them ‘needlessly divisive’. “I find it unfair, discriminatory and I’m surprised it would even be legal,” he told the meeting. “I think we should have a neutral policy on this and that’s best achieved with the [current] policy… which has gone through the proper consultation process. “It’s needlessly divisive to introduce flags to taxis especially if its only privileged to one nation’s flag.” Cllr Isherwood proposed an amendment to a motion to support the changes, saying the council should allow flags of other nations to be flown, which was not seconded. A report from Shropshire Council’s head of consumer protection, Frances Darling, said relaxing rules around displaying of the Union Flag could leave customers “concerned for their safety”. “It should also be acknowledged that potential passengers may be concerned for their own safety should they find that a taxi or PHV they intend to hire is displaying the Union Flag. This is due to its known appropriation by those with nationalist and right- wing sentiments,” she said. But speaking in support of the motion, Conservative councillor, Garry Burchett, said the changes would help to “reclaim” the Union Flag from far right elements. “The Union Flag has been stolen and we need to make a huge effort to publicise it as much as we can,” he said. “I understand what Cllr Isherwood is saying but I think the report goes a small way toward addressing that problem and I propose that we accept the report.”
10 AGE POLICY CONSULTATION
Trade reps have requested a review of the current vehicle age policy in Leicester which was last reviewed in 2012.
The number of hackneys has declined due to a number of factors, including the cost of buying a suitable vehicle with cabbies saying there are few affordable black cabs available secondhand. PHVs do not have to meet the same specifications as HCs so there is a wider choice of vehicles. In addition, many PHVs working in Leicester are licensed by other councils, some of which allow vehicles to be kept for longer. Leicester City Council’s current vehicle age policy requires all vehicles licensed for the first time to be no older than five years, and for all vehicles being relicensed to be no older than 11 years. The consultation runs for six weeks until February 25. A decision is expected within two months. Visit here:
https://consultations.leicester.gov.uk/comms/taxi-age/
CAMBRIDGE: LICENCE FEE INCREASES QUESTIONED
Questions have been raised as to why some fees paid by cabbies in Cambridge are increasing above inflation. The council said it needs to set fees to cover the actual cost of running the licensing department. Some fee increases are set at around 2-3%, but others are proposed to increase by up to 66%. At a licensing committee meeting on 29 January, Eddie Holland, vice chair of Cambridge Licensed Taxis, questioned the above inflation proposals. Mr Holland also highlighted concerns about the proposed 150% increase to the annual renewal fee, from £100 to £250. Officers said this had been reduced following consultation with drivers and was now proposed to increase from £100 to £150. Officers said they recognised that some of the fees were proposed to go up “significantly”, but explained this was because the fees had been set lower than the licensing service running costs in 2023/24. Chair of the committee, Cllr Russ McPherson, said: “We are all on your side. You are an integral part of the transport system in the city, lots of people could not operate without it. It is not an easy job, it is a long day, and we thank the taxi drivers for that.”
FEBRUARY 2024 PHTM
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