SAFE AND SUITABLE?
LEEDS TRADE AND COUNCILLORS KEEN TO SEE MORE CONSULTATION ON TAXI PROPOSALS
Further to our report on this month’s front page, we bring you more details in respect of the ongoing debate between the Leeds licensed taxi and private hire drivers and Leeds City Council officers and councillors surrounding the controversial taxi and pri- vate hire proposals being considered by the council’s licensing committee.
Opposition Conservative members on Leeds City Council have voiced concerns over consultation with taxi and private hire drivers following controversial proposals that could see them refused a licence if they have seven or more penalty points on their DVLA licence.
The issue was discussed at a mammoth four-hour long Licensing Committee on 28 January which was attended by 150 taxi and private hire licence holders, whose col- leagues also held a protest outside the City Hall. As a result of significant discontent and concern from taxi and private hire drivers the council has now committed to look in more detail at the proposals for penalty points through a working group. The pro- posed changes are now on hold, and existing rules which state that applicants must have under 13 points will be main- tained until the working group reports back.
Part of the confusion – whether the revised point system would apply to existing drivers as well as new applicants – is not yet clari- fied, and should be discussed in the near future by the working group. It was pro- posed that, when new points were put on DVLA licences of existing drivers, this would be unlikely to see a licence revoked.
But unions and drivers’ associations claim proper consultation was not carried out with taxi licence holders, and that the assur- ances from officers were too vague.
Speaking at the meeting, Peter Davies, regional organiser for the GMB union, which represents drivers, told the committee: “Your consultation process has been real, albeit a little bit too late. I welcome you lis- tening today and hearing those concerns – all we are really asking for is compromise. Nobody wants a fantastic, safe taxi service any more than the people who have packed this room out today.
“But you can get clocked at 34 in a 30 [zone] and you get caught on the way there
50
The Licensing Meeting in Leeds attended by concerned drivers
and the way back – you’re on six points.
“To hear words like ‘this is likely’, ‘this might happen’ and ‘this can be considered’, that is not good enough for me.
“We need the consultation to be extended. Given the campaign we have seen to date, this issue is going to spread to neighbouring authorities.”
The new measures for taxi and private hire drivers were adopted by Leeds City Coun- cil’s executive committee back in November last year, and were due to come into effect in February.
However, the item came before the commit- tee due to “significant representations by hackney carriage and private hire associa- tions, trade unions, drivers’ groups, and by private hire operators.”
Another representative, from the Unite union, claimed proper consultation was not carried out by the authority, adding: “I would like to thank you for taking it to this stage. This is like bolting the door after the horse is gone – it’s saying you are going to implement the policy but we will give you a say on the policy that already exists.
“Two hundred and fifty responses by 6,000 licence holders is not proportionate. It accounts for four per cent overall – this can- not be considered proportional.
“Not one of those I have been asked to speak on behalf of agrees with this. We will now be seeking legal advice.”
Earlier during the meeting, the item was dis- cussed by members of the committee and Leeds City council officers, who agreed to
form a working group to look further into the issue.
Cllr Al Garthwaite said: “It seems clear to me that everyone would agree the public must be kept safe, but Leeds will not remove the licence unless there are extremely good rea- sons based on extremely hard evidence.”
Cllr Abigail Marshall said: “Based on all the emails from the taxi drivers – if we have 240 responses, it tells us there is a big disparity. We have to give some weight to the views of the drivers who have been speaking to me over the last few weeks. We have to be able to look into the consultation.
“It’s not as draconian as it is made out to be – the only thing that worries me is how the consultation has been carried out.”
Cllr Ryk Downes added: “There has been a consultation, it has gone through the normal process, but when you look at the level of cor- respondence it is clearly an emotive subject. It is of such importance, that once we develop the policy, we should keep coming back and giving the opportunity to reconsider this.”
Cllr Paul Wray said: “It comes down to com- munication – in retrospect, we have com- municated in such a poor way that everyone thinks everything is going to change.”
Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Andrew Carter, and Licensing Committee Member Cllr Billy Flynn have expressed concerns at the pro- cess to date and backed more consultation with taxi and private hire drivers on the plans.
Cllr Andrew Carter, Leader of the Conserva- tive Group, said: “It is clear to me that the Council has not properly consulted on these proposals. The level of response is simply not enough at 240, when you consider that there are 6,000 licensed drivers in Leeds, something has obviously gone wrong with the communication to drivers.
“My Group is very keen to see a robust approach to taxi licensing and passenger safety. However, this does not mean that proposals should be brought forward in this way; these changes could have impacted on the livelihood of drivers and they must be consulted properly.”
Cllr Billy Flynn, Member of the Licensing Committee, said: “As a member of the
MARCH 2020
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