ROUND THE COUNCILS LUTON:
HACKNEY LIMIT TO REMAIN DUE TO COSTS CRISIS
The number of HCV licences issued in Luton borough will continue to be limited – after the council established local demand is being met. According to Luton Today, one coun- cillor questioned why the council would want to add more vehicles to Luton while taxi drivers are struggling. Cllr Abbas Hussain said: “The other thing to consider is the fuel cost. It’s hitting and even topping £2 a litre. The cost of living is another issue. And we could be going into a recession within months. These poor drivers have to earn money and pay for their families and vehicles. Why would members here want to add extra vehicles and more pollution to Luton?” The policy has been in place in the town since 1994 and cur- rently restricts HCVs operating in Luton to 170. A report by independent transport consultants commis- sioned by the council’s licensing service assessed whether issuing more licences locally is appropriate. Luton BC’s strategic regulatory manager Tony Ireland told the committee: “A survey and report were completed in 2019 prior to all of the upset with the pandemic. “We’re looking at doing the next survey at the end of 2023 or early 2024 to get the current picture.” There were 165 HCVs and 938 PHVs at the time of the survey. Councillors agreed to maintain the current limit and to chart progress over beginning a new survey in September 2023.
PLYMOUTH: COUNCIL LEADER DEFENDS LIVERY PLANS
Plymouth City Council’s leader has defended plans to change the livery on taxis to green and white in line with Ply- mouth’s new taxi licensing policy. According to the Plymouth Herald, there would be a five-year lead-in time for cabbies to get the new livery. Concerns were raised by taxi drivers at the full council meet- ing on Monday 20 June, about the proposed changes to the newly agreed policy. They also questioned the mandatory requirement to take payment by card and whether it would drive more people out of the business. Cllr Richard Bingley said: “A livery will introduce some posi- tive benefits. White and green are bright and easily identifiable and we hope to improve customer confidence in the evening economy. 65 per cent of people said livery would help encourage safety.” He added that the new livery could have an impact on taxi drivers earning money through advertising or at weddings or funerals, but the positive overall benefits would be worth it. Cllr Bingley added, on the issue of requiring payments via card: “A number of drivers have no issue with this and already have card readers fitted which assist passengers and
JULY 2022
are safer as drivers don’t have to carry cash. “Any costs associated can be claimed as a business expense and it is important to research the products available.” And answering concerns of taxi drivers leaving the trade, with 243 having left since 2020, he added: “The loss is a massive national problem. They will be encouraged to return within a three-year return period by not having to take the knowledge test and the HC limit has been removed.” The new policy changes include: • There will be no limit on the number of HCs • Drivers can return to the trade within three years without having to complete the knowledge test.
• The Plymouth Ambassador Course and the English Spoken Test will now be pre-requisites for new drivers.
• PHVs and HCVs must take card payments by July 2022. • DfT recommendations for extra DBS checks for drivers, vehicle proprietors and operators will be introduced.
• Operators will be required to keep a register of all booking staff and undertake safeguarding training.
• One-year licence fees and the first 12 months of a three- year licence will now be non-refundable
• Staggered approach to introduce cleaner vehicles by 2030 • Livery for new HCVs and existing cars from May 2027 (PHVs can no longer be white (existing cars until May 2027).
SWINDON: CCTV IN TAXIS AND PHVs FROM APRIL 2023
All new taxis and PHVs in Swindon will be expected to have CCTV installed from April next year after a new plan was approved at a licensing committee meeting on Tuesday 28 June. Older taxis/PHVs will be expected to have it installed when their licence is up for renewal. According to WiltshireLive, after a period of public consulta- tion requested by Swindon Borough Council’s Licensing Committee – a report was presented to the committee set- ting out how the policy may be implemented and what sort of incidents in which it will be possible to use CCTV footage. The report says that officers cannot identify specific grants from government to help with the cost – but that small busi- ness grants are available which might be suitable to use to pay for the installation. When the policy was first mooted by the council’s licensing department in 2019 fears over the cost meant that the com- mittee refrained from making cameras mandatory. Now licensing manager, Kathryn Ashton, has brought back a draft policy on mandating CCTV with a timetable which would see new taxis needing cameras from April 1. The licensing department’s position is: “The installation of CCTV in licensed vehicles is not a new initiative, and nor is it now uncommon. Some councils have found it to be a deter- rent to would-be troublemakers and a source of evidence in cases of disputes between drivers and passengers.”
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