CHANGE IS COMING!
Guildford, Cambridge, South Cambridge, Lewes, Eastbourne, Mid Sussex, North East Derbyshire, Rossendale and more, none of which were mentioned within the Casey report. Yet other regions, such as Newcastle, Telford, Oldham and Rochdale, where they did have a grooming issue, did not introduce CCTV as a condition.
What is CCTV for?
Our message here is clear, having CCTV has been seen to prove beyond any doubt that the majority of allegations made against drivers are false. Actually, CCTV places the respect back in the industry, with you the drivers, since it is your line of defence against false allegations of rape, abuse, over charging, assault, theft, inappropriate behaviour and so much more.
The advantage of CCTV is that it also acts as a visible deterrent (where there is a monitor) to put potential attackers off.
CCTV is nothing to be afraid of, CCTV is your friend, not your enemy, your eyewitness, your defence and your protection.
It is undeniable evidence, it is cheaper than a solicitor, it is cheaper than having Baroness Casey doing a report; in fact, it is cheaper than replacing your glass (for those with tinted windows).
What will happen to existing conditions and local authorities?
The answer is, nobody knows for sure how this will roll- out, and what it means for us as an industry. However, one thing we do know for sure, is that when the consultations do go live, it is for ALL of YOU to get involved and have your say.
Speak now or forever hold your peace!
Will licence shopping come to an end? No, since the cheaper option will still exist, or will it?
Will national standards stop vehicles and drivers from out of area working within these new regions?
No, since it will still be perfectly legal and legitimate to fulfil any pre booked journeys, anywhere in the UK, unless there is a change to legislation to adopt and mandate intended use policies.
What might well happen, is that the boundaries or “controlled districts” for hackney
suddenly become huge, allowing taxis to rank up and be flagged down throughout a much larger area.
PHTM JULY 2025 carriages will NATIONAL ENFORCEMENT
One other possibility is that national enforcement could be introduced, meaning that any officer from anywhere would be able to suspend or revoke any licence, regardless of where issued. This would effectively create a national licence, although this would need either a change in legislation, or to adopt an actual national licensing authority.
Under current legislation, only named officers may carry out enforcement activity on vehicles or drivers that are not locally licensed, it is not across council agreement, it is indeed “authorised officers” only. Any officer already has the power to prosecute for criminal activity, (breaches of the 1976 Act) they simply do not have the powers to enforce against local conditions that are not their own, or to suspend or revoke licences.
Whilst this might seem a promising idea on first glance, it will only work if the standards are indeed “national” and not regionalised to the newly adopted mayoral districts, assuming that is ever actually adopted.
THOSE TERRIBLE DRIVERS!
The one thing we do know, is that the Casey Report has 11 other recommendations, all of which relate to other sectors, police, councils, social services, health care and various others. When looking at the truth of the report, there were far more sectors that were involved in this horrific and ongoing issue; the taxi and private hire sector was very much a small minority.
Naturally we are not suggesting 100% innocence, but when considered against the 552,000 workforce in our industry, there will always be an occasional bad apple which we need to get rid of. Of course we already know public opinion that it’s only our industry that’s to blame for everything, so we need to be extra careful out there.
ENDING CROSS-BORDER WORKING
l The Devolution White Paper won’t achieve this. l The Casey Report is not going to change it. l A change in legislation will do it, but how? l Roll-out the intended use policy to all licences – enforce section 75, 1(a) LGMPA 1976 – enforce existing legislation.
Let us get local services back to being LOCAL! We encourage you to contact your MP, and most of all
JOIN NOW!
A UNITED TRADE IS A POWERFUL VOICE 9
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