ROUND THE COUNCILS HAVANT:
KIRKLEES: ONE-TO-ONE ENGLISH ASSESSMENT
Aspiring taxi drivers in Havant could see their grasp of the English language put to the test in new one-to-one interviews
with
licensing officers. It comes as Havant Borough Council vows to change the way new drivers apply for private hire or hackney car- riage licences in the borough. Currently, new appli- cants are allowed to bring someone else into their initial driv- er interview who may occasionally speak on their behalf. But according to The News, the new plan
would see wannabe cabbies go it alone, to ensure
their
English and maths skills are good enough to meet cus- tomers’ needs. The council has also suggested raising licence prices for new drivers from £125 to £150 for one year, and from £137 to £210 for three years. Havant Council’s licensing chief, councillor David Keast, said appli- cants’ English would be assessed through conversation and writing. However he admit- ted a formal English language test is still
being considered by the council. If plans pass, the council would also increase the prices for licence renewal from £107 to £169 for three years and £95 to £145 for one year. New charges would also be rolled out for a change of driver’s address or name, a change of vehicle registration or a transfer of vehicle proprietor. Cllr Keast said many of the changes, which would bring the council an addi- tional £24,821, would be made to cover administrative costs.
SUITABILITY POLICY SUSPENDED
The following state- ment has been issued by the Leader of Kirklees Council, Cllr Shabir Pandor, regarding the sus- pension of the proposed Suitability Policy in Kirklees, which is being imposed on neigh- bouring licence holders by Leeds City Council. Mem- bers of the Leeds Private Hire Drivers’ Organisation staged an initial protest against the policy on Wednesday 15 January; this was followed by a meet- ing on Tuesday 21 January involving all parties at the coun- cil offices. Cllr Pandor said: “I agree that we need to have another look at this. There needs to be flexibility in the implementation of this policy so as not to penalise good drivers who have served the public safely for many years. I’d like to look at putting some extra checks and balances in this pro- cess to safeguard taxi drivers who are doing a good job. “I need to under- stand more of the detail and reflect before being able to rule properly on this and put safeguards in place for taxi drivers.” A joint statement from Leeds City Council licensed HC and PH drivers stat- ed: “Regarding the proposed introduc- tion of the new Suitability Policy, due to the severity of this issue and the
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fact that it will affect all HC and PH drivers, all the asso- ciations have come together on this issue as a combined group to raise our concerns in the only way available to us. We don’t believe this is limited to Leeds but more like- ly is a national issue and certainly one that we feel strongly enough about to put any differences aside and work together closely as a combined trade body. “We are holding this series of go-slow drive protests to show our disgust at the proposed Suit- ability Policy. “We will be joined by
drivers from
across the West Yorkshire harmoni- sation group Kirklees, Wakefield and Bradford. “The proposed policy is based on guidance from the Institute of Licensing - this is for guidance purposes only and NOT the law. “The policy propos- als are very dra- conian indeed and goe way beyond what the law of the land permits. The policymakers do not understand the pressures that the drivers have to work under; a recent example is Jason Scherer from Arm- ley who was stab- bed in the neck whilst trying to earn a living. “The Road Traffic Act allows drivers to use their occupation to plead for an
extension should they reach 12 points, this policy overrules the RTA. “Taxi and PH drivers have had to or will be buying vehicles costing anything from £15k to £70k on finance to meet the upcoming CAZ requirements. Just two motoring con- victions will mean immediate suspen- sion for three years. Drivers will lose their only source of in- come meaning they will not be able to pay their finance instalments and any other financial com- mitments. This will make many drivers destitute. “We would like this Suitability Policy sus- pended, pending a full consultation within the working group process that Leeds City Council has used for many policies including the recent CCTV policy.” Mmmm… We’ve been advised by the trade in the Leeds area that the so- called “accord” bet- ween the five West Yorkshire Combined Authority councils is not running entirely smoothly; this points policy is one example of such discord. Cer- tainly this points policy is a hotbed not only in West Yorkshire, but in points south and south-east as well.. Check out this month’s main feature for more insight… meanwhile, Kirklees has put the brakes on for the time being; we’ll report on developments. – Ed.
FEBRUARY 2020
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