ROUND THE COUNCILS WEST SUFFOLK: CABBIES FACE INCREASE IN FEES
A rise in fees and charges paid by cabbies has been approved – despite concerns over the impact and the ‘intolerable’ administrative burden. West Suffolk Council consulted with the trade over the move, which would cover the increased costs and work of licensing taxis and private hire vehicles due to national changes. The authority’s cabinet backed the increase at a meeting on Tuesday 17 October, which will see new annual fees for a hackney carriage licence go up from £163 to £209, while a private hire licence would rise from £154 to £188. Combined driver’s fees for one year would be £174 compared to the current £69 and £308 compared to £206 for three years.
Cllr Andy Drummond, cabinet member for licensing and regulatory, said the changes were not about generating extra income but delivering a cost neutral service. Any surplus over three years would support the trade, he said. However, four objections had been received during the council’s consultation as to whether it had complied with legislation and used an appropriate approach to set the fees. One said the prices were too expensive and were putting drivers off joining the trade or existing taxi drivers from renewing their licence. They said: “As a trade we have not recovered from the pandemic. The work is nowhere near what it was due to rising cost of living. Yet again the council is putting more cost on the drivers.” Another taxi driver said: “Your current administrative burden which you are now putting on to drivers like myself is intolerable for the future and it is my strong intention to give up driving in three years’ time. “I absolutely do not wish to go through the unnecessary rigmarole you put me through this year to renew my licence again.” They urged the council to reduce the amount of administration. A call was made for passenger fares to increase first which the authority implemented in late August. The extra administration includes new HMRC tax conditionality checks and DfT guidance that increased driver DBS checks from every three years to every six months. The increase in fees and charges would be the first
PHTM NOVEMBER 2022
since 2015/16 and would start from April 3 2023. Cllr Drummond added: “We are clear that much of this national guidance and increased checks that we are required to do, is designed to protect passenger safety and maintain public confidence in the taxi trade. “Our priority is to ensure applications are processed in time and the appropriate checks are carried out. “By increasing these fees and charges, we will effectively be asking the trade to cover the increased costs associated with granting licences. “That is why I asked my cabinet colleagues to back these proposals at our meeting on 17 October.”
NORTH DEVON: SAFEGUARDING TRAINING TO BE GIVEN
North Devon Council has received funding from The Home Office as part of the fourth round of its Safer Streets fund to provide training to its taxi and private hire drivers via a safeguarding awareness course. The course will look specifically at the protection of children and vulnerable adults and will be delivered by Karen Anderson, a former Devon and Cornwall Police officer in the Public Protection department. It has been made mandatory for all licensed taxi and private hire drivers in the district to take part in the training and the council has proposed to get all licenced drivers through the course by early next year. Public protection manager at the council, Katy Nicholls, says: “Unwittingly taxi and PH drivers may become aware of serious safeguarding issues through their work. This training aims to ensure they are alert to signs of an issue and know what to do if they have a concern.” Chair of the council’s licensing and community safety committee, Cllr Louisa York, said: “It’s a simple message, if you see something, say something. We believe that by doing this, drivers can play a vital role in the safeguarding process.” The course training includes: • Understanding what safeguarding is and your responsibilities
• Awareness of the different forms of exploitation including human trafficking, CSE and modern slavery
· Recognising signs of exploitation and abuse · Knowing who to contact if you suspect an issue The district’s taxi and private hire drivers have been contacted directly by the council.
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