ROUND THE COUNCILS BOLTON:
ALTERNATIVE IDEA AFTER MLS DEBATE
Alternative plans have been put forward after a controversial debate on the future of Bolton’s taxi trade. The town hall was unable to come to an agreement on whether or not to approve the controversial minimum licencing standards (MLS) scheme which will require cabbies to use vehicles that are less than ten years old by 2028. But drivers have signalled their opposition to this measure, which they have previously said could “destroy livelihoods” while opposition politicians have called for further debate on the scheme. Cllr Sue Haworth said: “As the shadow cabinet member for licensing I have a working knowledge of vehicle costs, including vehicle choices for clean air compliance. A lot has changed since the MLS work started in 2018. Bolton taxi drivers are being faced with a huge cost for vehicles they can have licensed for their work from 2028.” The MLS scheme is part of a Greater Manchester wide reforms package which aims to bring in common standards for the 11,500 private hire vehicles that operate across the city region’s ten boroughs. As it stands, the proposals will require all vehicles to be under five years old on first licensing by April 2028, while taxis will also have to comply with European standards when first licensed and the MLS scheme also aims to bring in a common livery for taxis all across Greater Manchester. But first the ten proposals will have to be agreed by the council and they have been called in for further scrutiny after objections from the opposition Labour group. Cllr Haworth has recommended that the minimum age should instead be 15 years. She said: “Fifteen years as the oldest age of vehicle, which we refer to as the age of the fleet, is notably less costly for drivers than ten years of the fleet. Our main job is to agree policies that protect the public who use taxis. “We need also to ensure there are enough Bolton taxi drivers for the paying public here and as in other work sectors we want workers to have fair deals about work expenses and earnings. For taxi drivers the biggest expense is the cost of the vehicle they drive. “Vehicles that are under ten years of age are costly and for clean air compliance even more so.” But council leader, Cllr Martyn Cox, pointed out at a that the proposals had cross-party support across the city region and warned of the consequences of Bolton
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not playing its part in the scheme. At the cabinet meeting on Monday 27 March, he said: “These proposals came from the Labour Mayor, they’ve gone to every Labour authority, they’ve all agreed them. But the basis of this is the funding we’re relating to. If we simply say we are having no part of this, given government legislation towards net zero and given Andy Burnham’s commitment to net zero and I know better than that because I was green city region spokesperson. “It is going to be the case that if Bolton completely withdraws from this and says we’re having nothing to do with it this is an extremely high probability that we will lose considerable funding for this.” He added: “If you believe at all in any of this is beggars belief that at the first opportunity you walk away and say we don’t want anything to do with this.”
WORCESTER: CHANGES TO REDUCE CARBON EMISSIONS
Taxi drivers and passengers are being asked for their views on plans to change licensing rules to reduce carbon emissions across the city. Worcester City Council is working with taxi operators with the aim of making it more cost-effective to switch to EVs. The move ties in with the council’s ten-year Environmental Sustainability Strategy and its ambitions to make Worcester carbon neutral. The council’s Licensing and Environmental Health Committee considered a proposal in April to review the HC and PHV age policy to offer more incentive for drivers to switch to EVs. The committee report included a proposal from the Worcester Taxi Association, asking the lower age limit for vehicles being licensed for taxi/private hire to be raised as it believes this will help vehicle owners and drivers prepare financially for the transition to electric and ultra-low emission vehicles in the future. The consultation concerns two proposed amend- ments to the council’s licensing policy - the first removing all age limits for any fully electric vehicle to be used as a taxi or PHV, and the second to increase the lower age for new taxis from three years to five. The city council would like to hear the views of taxi and private hire drivers and vehicle owners as well as anyone who uses taxis, including disabled people and local businesses. Visit:
https://www.worcester.gov.uk/council/consultations The consultation will be open until 22 May 2023.
MAY 2023 PHTM
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