Andy Peters Brighton & Hove Cab Trade Association
info@bhcta.co.uk www.bhcta.co.uk
Wolverhampton advance vehicle licensing
In last month’s PHTM I raised the matter of Wolver- hampton issuing a PHV licence one month plus in advance following the viral photo of the pre-dated licence plate and paperwork buzzing around the net. It could actually be that your licensing department may do something similar… but a whole month plus?
I did contact Wolverhampton licensing and was pleasantly surprised that the response was very quick, with the licensing officer being very helpful in dealing with my questions. This is unlike past experiences of some licensing departments that drag their heels and even turn a simple question into an official FOI.
I did make various points which were addressed, but the main point of questioning such an advance issuing of the new licence plate, plus paperwork had this reply: “I am not aware of any other instances of vehicles being inspected more than a month before expiry but accept your point and have ensured additional checks are done to prevent this from happening again”.
So that was worth doing. I do have a question regarding Wolverhampton’s removal of PHV door signs so I will be back in contact soon.
Devolution
Our local councillors recently met to discuss the government’s plan for devolution and I’m led to believe that they were champing at the bits with enthusiasm, bless them. I have the impression that they are jumping up and down with excitement at the prospect of Brighton & Hove being swallowed up into one supreme authority being ruled by a governing mayor. Looking at how well that has worked for London, I can just see our new Sussex Mayor being transported between meetings in a bullet proof Range Rover.
I emailed our Licensing Chair and Council Leader as to what the impact will be on local licensing, and of course no one knows. This leaves the trade with a future more unsure than ever before. If it’s not one thing it’s another! But, do the residents get to say anything about it, of course not. So it looks like ‘Localism’ will be a thing of the past once this is rubber stamped.
The irony of this is that a week later the council made 62
an announcement of cuts and a hiring freeze, plus a ban on overtime due to a massive deficit in finances
https://tinyurl.com/bhfreeze
“Strict spending limits have been imposed and some non-urgent and non-essential repairs and other routine tasks are being put back until the new financial year starts in April.” Well that’s another two years of driving around dodging road-craters due to constant neglect!
The reason I mentioned this is because there was a rumour going around the trade that local enforcement, such as at the weekend where this is classed as overtime, was going to cease. So on that basis I wrote to the Licensing Chair and Council Leader asking what exactly is happening? I emphasised the point that licensing is ring-fenced and self-funded by the trade’s licensing fees which means that the licensing department is untouchable and should carry on regardless. I copied in others, including the licensing officers.
At the time of writing this I have not had any reply from the Council Leader nor the Licensing Chair. However, I did receive a call from our friendly licensing officer, I again emphasised the ring-fencing and self-funding and whilst he couldn’t confirm if this was going to affect licensing, he undertook to get back to me with more information.
Ironically this came just after the company that owned the council-backed ridiculous i360 seafront tower, that owed the city £51m in loans and missed payments, ceased trading. The council has now announced it will have to wipe out all the debt. Yep £51m! This was thanks to the Green-controlled council in 2017, which was gullible in backing this fantasy project. Where are all those councillors now? Gone of course. The point I’m making is that we have councillors who can commit to crazy projects such as Devolution and yet are never around when the whatsit hits the fan.
Havant PHV – no rear plate
Once again, our specially trained network of cab drivers has eagerly spotted an out-of-towner who thinks they can do what they want - a Havant Uber PHV with a missing rear licence plate. This resulted in a report being sent to Havant Licensing and the driver being ‘corrected’. I just don’t understand why any licensed driver thinks it’s acceptable to blatantly remove a licence plate? What is the motive? This also raises the matter of removable licence plates which in my universe should never be allowed. They should be
FEBRUARY 2025 PHTM
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