THE BRIGHTON & HOVE COUNCIL COVER-UP
operator, who should possess as much honesty and integrity as the local council, is always at risk with those in the council who have the power to make judgement over him/her.
I have known drivers hauled in over alleged overcharging of a matter of an extra 20/40p because Mrs Jones always pays the same fare on every journey so the driver must be trying to rip her off. Yes it has happened. I have known of a driver who had to have his CCTV downloaded after one Christmas period because one fare was too high. But hav- ing calculated the distance and tariff at the time I think the fare was not much more than on a map calculation with little or no waiting time included. That driver was terrified he would have his licence revoked or would get something on his record.
Downs Park School amid the fiasco in 2019
The rest of the story is quite shocking and worth a read and the full Minutes of the meeting were heavily redacted.
So: “Why” I hear you ask have I bothered to cover this particular subject this month?
Well we all know that as licensed cab drivers/ proprietors/operators we all have to meet the old ‘Fit and Proper’ category - not that I believe this has ever been defined and is effectively up to the individual council to set the level. But it does seem that ‘Fit and Proper’ has never been really used as a qualification to be a local councillor and even a council employee..... as far as I know.
Now please do not get me wrong here. I have known - as well as worked with - some very fine councillors and council staff in my nearly 40 years in the trade and still do. As well as with some right old (insert whatever came into your mind first.... yep that would do very well!). Including one, I will always remember yonks ago, who had no mathematical skills and had a say on our fares who said that ten per cent of £10 was 1p.... I kid you not!
And he had a high profile job in the local public sector.
I am very well aware that a local councillor can be put in front of a disciplinary hearing on complaints, although all in all nothing really happens. But a cab driver/proprietor/
JUNE 2021
But here we have a situation which cost the council nearly £1m more to run the ‘Home to School Transport’ system and it wants to keep the findings of the independent bar- rister’s report secret. This is because apparently the information it holds could be used as evidenced against the council for legal proceedings... and apparently this is allowed to happen.
Is this really how we want our local councils to behave?
Does that really make any council ‘Fit and Proper’ if it is allowed to legally hide evidence in case it incriminates itelf?
Maybe I have been a bit hard here because I have always gone by the motto: ‘to err is human’ and people make mistakes.
However where mistakes are made, there needs to be honesty and transparency.
I have submitted a Freedom of Information requesting the full Minutes without redaction, but I won’t hold my breath....
Andy Peters Brighton & Hove Cab Trade Association
info@bhcta.co.uk
facebook.com/groups/bhcabta
www.bhcta.co.uk @cabsbrighton 89
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