Opinion S
National Private Hire Association 8 Silver Street Bury BL9 0EX 0161 280 2800
www.npha.org.uk
WELL NOW, THERE’S A TURNUP FOR THE BOOKS...
o there I was, minding my own business and trying to get on with things – as you do, and as we are known to do in multi-tasking layers at the Association – when out of the blue, I was struck down with some kind of weird infection.
This has entailed two stays in two different hospitals (I’m at the second one as I write this), having to spend many days flat on me back in bed for the first time ever, fourteen tons of antibiotics, and a raft of rather strong painkillers. But what really bugs me is: my writing arm is rusting up! - but I promise to be back in action very soon. So I wanted to shout a big THANK YOU to all of you well-wishers out there, as so many folk have phoned, emailed and the like, sending words of encouragement. You know, like, “I can tell Bryan’s been ill... he’s not being rude to me!” Don’t worry – there’s plenty of time to make up for lost time there. However, to start out on a somewhat serious and thoughtful note, we wanted to acknowledge the recent passing of George Simms. Many of you will have known George; he was a Manchester taxi licence holder for many years, and a representative of both the Manchester TOA and latterly the National Taxi Trades Group. We had many occasions to get together with George in both his repre- sentative roles as part of the Meeting of Minds, which over the past three years in particular has involved the major industry stakeholders getting together on a regular basis to discuss trade issues across the board. Who would have thought that, say, a decade ago, the major trade asso-
A view from the trade by B. M. ROLAND
npha@btconnect.com
ciations would sit around the table with the unions and actually talk to each other? No chance! – but that’s exactly what goes on now, every couple of months or so. And you’d be amazed at how many issues we all actually agree on – it’s just that we may approach those issues from different angles, but more often than not arrive at the same destination. You know, like transporting a passenger from A to B. Anyway, I digress... what we were saying is that George Simms was a very nice man, and a most agreeable person to take part in these Meet- ings of Minds. He will be sorely missed both in Manchester and further afield. The NPHA was represented at George’s funeral in Bury on the 21st June, as were the unions and the local TOA’s. We extend our con- dolences to his family, friends and colleagues. In the meantime, we can still have an overview of what’s happening around the place, trade-wise. And there’s plenty of activity, as you can see within this issue. For a start, Manchester is in the spotlight yet again, this time for the decision taken by the council’s June Licensing and Appeals Committee as featured on the front page. Hello – didn’t they know about the Liverpool/Lunt case?! Haven’t they read the Department for Transport’s Best Practice guidance about not limiting the types of vehicle to be licensed by a licensing authority? Oh well... they’ll get it sorted out eventually. Hopefully. What else is happening... Oh yes, I also want to shout another big THANK YOU, to all of you out there who have contacted the National Association and given, or pledged, contributions to the fighting fund to get to the bottom of the matter, in legal terms, of how councils charge licensing fees. Our investigation is definitely ongoing, and gaining momentum by the day. More importantly, we believe that the outcome – whichever way it goes – will have major implications nationally. Keep ‘em coming, keep ‘em coming!! Your backing and support, that is... This is why we’ve had such a huge surge of support from parts of the country you wouldn’t believe would be affected. But we have taken
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PHTM JULY 2013
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