ROUNDTHE COUNCILS CHESHIRE EAST:


OLDHAM: DRIVER STRUGGLE TO DROP DISABLED PEOPLE


A Knutsford taxi driver has said he under- stands why the town’s disabled residents are frustrated when they try to get around the town. Residents who use scooters and wheel- chairs have urged the borough council to hurry up and intro- duce a scheme which would make it easier for them to make trips to the town centre. Lloyd Evans, who runs Amber Cars, said that he had recently bought a special ly-adapted


vehicle, but struggled to drop off and pick up disabled residents on Knutsford’s main streets. “I’ve got the only dis- ability vehicle in Knulsford and I fully understand where the residents are coming from,” he told the Knutsford Guardian. “I get a client who wants to go to Boots or the banks on the bottom street, how do I unload them? “There’s no disabled bay, but there should be. Because I don’t have a disabled stick-


er I can’t even park on the double yellow line because I would get a ticket if I did. “I believe we should help people with a disability. But I have drivers blasting their horns at me when I try and drop someone off - it’s a real problem.” Mmmm.....was it ever thus. Buildings are converted, loop sys- tems are installed for the hard of hearing, doorways are given ramps - but what pro- vision is made for disabled transport? - Ed.


NORTHAMPTON: DRIVERS WIN BATTLE AGAINST UNSAFE TAXIS


Taxi drivers have won a battle over pro- posed rules that could have seen an influx of old, unsafe vehicles


into


Northampton. Drivers had protested at plans to scrap the three-year rule, which currently means taxis have to be less than 36 months old when brought into service. They feared loosen- ing the rules would open the door to unscrupulous drivers who picked up a vehi- cle cheaply. Members of North- ampton


represen-


Chronicle: “Relaxing the rules on older taxis will attract driv- ers from other towns who can pick up a £500 vehicle some- where. It increases the number of drivers trying to make a living out of passengers in town.” The


association Borough


Council’s licensing committee changed the plan after pas- sionate


tations by drivers at a meeting last month. However, the com- promise still means taxis aged up to five years old can start working in the town after 2015. Jonathan Hills, the secretary of


the


Northampton Hack- ney Drivers’ Asso- ciation (NHDA), told the


PAGE 12 Northampton


argued that numbers of passengers had fallen, as will the num- ber of rank spaces at their busiest pick-up point, Northampton train station, when building work starts. With drivers paying off debts on their new cars, they would have to work longer hours, making them poten- tially dangerous, Mr Hills said. He instead wanted five years’ grace for Northamp- ton drivers to pay off vehicles already pur- chased on credit. But senior licensing officers, advising the committee, said a car’s age was not the best indicator of its safety, as new cars could develop faults because of high


mileage, whereas older cars driven carefully could still be safe. They said the council’s proposals to monitor tyre treads and do more frequent tests were more reli- able measures. After the drivers had spoken, councillors went into private ses- sion then decided to amend the NHDA’s request. Mr Hills wanted the age limits staggered until 2017, but the councillors’ offer of a three-year period was still greet- ed with applause. Councillors said they had been persuaded by passenger safety concerns. Councillor Terry Wire said: “The last thing we want


is some


£500 cab aged about 15 years old coming up from London and picking up people here. The whole rea- son


for this


committee is to look after the welfare of passengers, and get- ting rid of an age limit would not serve that purpose.”


NEW LAW USED TO SNARE LICENCE CHEAT


A man was caught try- ing to bribe his way to a licence pass to become an Oldham taxi driver - and has become among the first to be prosecuted under a new law. The Oldham Evening Chronicle reports that Oldham Council is among the first local authorities to be involved in a suc- cessful prosecution under


the new


Bribery Act 2010. Mawia Mushtaq had been on a driving test with a council licens- ing


officer on


October 5 last year in a bid to secure a pri- vate hire drivers’ licence. But when the 26-year- old was told he had


failed the test, Mush- taq repeatedly asked the officer to pass him and offered him £200 and then £300 to change the result to a pass. The officer refused and reported the matter to his manag- er who passed the information to the police. An investigation was launched and Mush- taq was charged - the new law came into force in July. Following a trial at Manchester Crown Court, a jury found Mushtaq guilty of the offence. After the unanimous verdict, His Honour Judge Foster QC sen- tenced Mushtaq to


two months’ impris- onment suspended for 12 months. A two- month curfew order between 6pm and 6am was


also


imposed. Councillor


Jean


Stretton, Cabinet Member for Neigh- bourhoods


and


Devolved Services, said: “I’d like to con- gratulate the officer involved for


their


honesty and integrity in reporting this ille- gal approach. “This


conviction


should send out a clear message that Oldham Council will not tolerate attempts to bribe officers into issuing


licences


under any circum- stances.”


BARNSLEY: TAXI REVIEW RUNS UP BILL OF £33,000


A review of Barns- ley’s taxi trade has cost


taxpayers


£33,000, according to figures released by Barnsley Council. It is being carried out by the council to set out taxi trade policies for the next three years and follows com- plaints from taxi drivers who said they had been hit hard by ‘excessive


fees’


which have doubled since 2009. Figures detailing the cost of the review, due to be completed by January, were released to the audit committee following a request by Cllr Robert Barnard. The break- down


includes


£17,100 for the dis- trict auditor fees and £10,000 for an inde- pendent consultant to carry out an overall review. Other costs incurred were for legal advice


(£1,000), the borough secretary’s services (£2,400) and an inter- nal audit (£2,500). Cllr Barnard told the Barnsley Chronicle: “I wanted to know how much the taxpayer was having to pay for this review to be done following the objec- tion that was made. “I must say that it is more than I would have expected it to be and it seems to have been going on for so long now, more than a year.” A report published by Ann Gosse, the exec- utive director of development, envi- ronment and culture, states: “It is worth noting that the bulk of the review is now complete and any further work, includ- ing


the


mentation and future reassessment


imple- of


fees, will be con- tained within existing


resources.” The review is investi- gating the lawfulness of fees set by the council for hackney carriage and private hire licensing and vehicle testing, and was ordered by the district auditor


in


August last year after an objection was lodged to the counci’s accounts by taxi driv- ers. The council accepted the recommendations which include ensur- ing taxi services are properly regulated and safe; the fees levied are set follow- ing appropriate con- sultation and regula- tion, and vehicle testing services rep- resent ‘good value for money’. The final report is due before the council’s ruling cabinet shortly where a decision on the recommendations will be made.


PHTM JANUARY 2013


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