ROUND THE COUNCILS BARNSLEY:
TAXI FARE INCREASE TO BE DECIDED
The Hackney Carriage Association submitted a request to Barnsley Council’s licensing department to increase the base rate by 40p to bring hackney carriage fares in line with private hire charges. The Star reports that the association says the price hike would help towards the “significant rise” in fuel costs, running costs and insurance. This would mean that the first mile of a journey would increase from £3.80 to £4.20. The council’s general licensing regulatory board opened a public consultation on the matter, after asking drivers to submit evidence of rising costs. Six responses were received, two in support of the increase and four objecting. Rob Taylor, secretary of the Barnsley Hackney Carriage Association said in a document: “Fuel has been on a roller- coaster over the last two years and now stands at £1.36 per litre, a big increase from £1.12 pre pandemic equating to over £1.08 per gallon more. Insurance for Public Hire Vehicles have risen by over 12 per cent in the last year alone. Documents submitted by Shaun Jeffers, chairman of the association, said that some drivers are earning less than minimum wage. “Barnsley councillors are asking for proof that our costs have increased when it is plainly obvious that they have,” the documents state. However, four objections to the rise were received from members of the public. Members of the council’s general licensing regulatory board will decide the increase at their next meeting.
LEEDS: CONSULTATION ON SUITABILITY POLICY
Currently, people who apply for, or hold a taxi or private hire licence, can be granted a licence by the council even if they have up to 12 points on their DVLA driving licence The council revised its Suitability (Convictions) Policy in February 2020, bringing Leeds City Council standards into line with five neighbouring authorities and many more across the UK. However, the standard relating to minor traffic or vehicle related offences was objected to by drivers, leading to further consideration of it. Following a long consultation with stakeholders and further work the Council’s Licensing Committee have recommended and Executive Board have agreed that the public should be consulted on the following new standard:
NOVEMBER 2021
1. Applications for a taxi or private hire driver licence be refused when an applicant has 7 or more points for minor convictions showing on their driving licence; 2. Existing licence holders reaching 7 or 8 points for minor convictions will receive a warning and may be required to attend training; and 3. Existing licence holders reaching 9 or more points for minor convictions may have their licence refused or revoked. The council is asking for the public, including drivers and passengers to comment on this change so it can take into consideration the views of everyone before deciding whether to approve it as part of the Taxi and Private Hire Suitability (Convictions) Policy. You can give us your views by completing our online survey before 10pm Monday 15th November 2021. Click here to complete the survey:
https://surveys.leeds.gov.uk/s/XVG8SG/?utm_medium= email...
CRAVEN: POLICY AMENDED TO MEET NEW STANDARDS
Craven taxi and private hire drivers will have to have CCTV cameras fitted in their vehicles from 1 January 2022. The council’s Licensing Committee determined to mandate taxi cameras in all vehicles from the new year following DfT advice. The district is the first in North Yorkshire to make them mandatory. After deferring implementation of the pol- icy for two years, the licensing committee agreed it should now be brought in without delay. (See CCTV feature on page 32 for further details.) Councillors also agreed to amend Craven District Council’s Taxi Policy to meet the new Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards where it currently doesn’t. The Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy, adopted in 2018, already met the majority of the recommendations but there are now new guidelines that increase the amount of time that must pass following certain convictions before a driver can be licensed by the authority. The new standards will also see new conditions for private hire operators, such as a requirement for operators to carry out checks and keep records on booking and dispatch staff. Councillors also agreed at the committee meeting to adopt the use of the national register of taxi and private hire vehi- cle driver licence refusals and revocations. Currently, if drivers do not disclose information about a previous revoca- tion or refusal to grant a licence, there is often no way for the council to know otherwise. This means that vital intelligence about an applicant’s past behaviour can be missed and an individual may be able to be licensed in another area despite having a previous licence revoked or an application refused. The register is developed and hosted by the National Anti-Fraud Network (NAFN).
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