...ROUND THE COUNCILS... MORAY:
TELFORD AND WREKIN: TAXI MARSHALS LAUNCHED
Taxi marshals will be introduced in Telford in a bid to help people get home safely. The council said the marshals will be brought in at South-
water from 10pm to 11.30pm on Fridays and from 10pm to midnight on Satur- days. According to the Tel- ford Journal, initially
CRAWLEY: HANDBOOK ON SPOTTING CSE
All taxi drivers in Craw- ley are being given a handbook to educate them on how spotting the signs of CSE. The Crawley News reports that Crawley Borough Council has spent £1,800 on the
small handbooks which explain how to report concerns and what the tell-tale signs are that a child may be being ferried around the town to be sexually abused. The initiative is part of
a drive to safeguard children in Crawley to prevent them being exploited in the same way as in Rotherham where taxis were often used to transport chil- dren around the borough to abusers.
BLACKBURN: JOBS FEAR AS DRIVERS TO BE HIT BY NEW COSTS
Angry Blackburn taxi drivers’ representa- tives will meet council bosses twice in the next few weeks to oppose plans to raise the costs of a hackney licence and bring in a new penalty points system for mechani- cal vehicle safety. They fear the combi- nation of the two could put some of the 50 cab drivers out of business. Blackburn Taxi Asso- ciation chairman, Mo- hammed Younis, will lead a delegation to meet borough envi- ronment boss Jim Smith over the points system.
On September 17, he and his team were back in the town hall to oppose plans to raise the annual licence fee for a taxi driver’s badge from
£64 to £84.
Following new gov- ernment legislation, Blackburn with Dar- win Borough Council will move to three- year licences costing £192. Mr Younis said many could only afford to pay yearly while simi- lar towns charged less. Preston charges £110 for a new three- year licence and £75 to renew an existing one.
Cab drivers who totalled 20 points in 12 months for offences such as not wearing a badge or displaying door signs, could be banned from taking fares. Mr Younis said: “Dri- vers are concerned and very angry. The new three-year charge seems OK, but many drivers can
OCTOBER 2015
only afford to pay it annually. They will have to pay £20 a year surcharge they cannot afford.
“The whole fees sys- tem is complex and confusing with hidden increases in charges. “Taken with the new penalty points sys- tem, it is too much for many drivers.
“I will be meeting to make the case for a reconsideration. After those meetings, we will hold a meeting to decide what to do next.”
Council taxi boss Jim Smith said: “This new points scheme does not penalise the driv- ers financially, it
is
just a more formal way of making sure the taxis in the bor- ough are in the best condition for cus- tomers.”
the scheme was to be trialled until Septem- ber 26. If successful, marshals will continue until the end of March, when it will be further reviewed.
DRIVERS FACE REVEALING MEDICAL RECORDS
Taxi drivers in the north of Scotland could soon be told to submit a medical report with their licence applications. The requirement was agreed by Moray Council last year – before the tragic Glasgow bin lorry crash – as part of a review of taxi licens- ing conditions, but it has not yet been pro- gressed.
Members of the local authority’s licensing committee were to be asked to decide whether to move for- ward with im- plementing the re- quirement for appli- cants to provide a medical report on their fitness to drive or to reverse its deci- sion.
The move comes as a senior consultant physician called for family doctors to pass on information about patients whose driving may be con- sidered a safety issue because of a medical condition.
The council commit- tee will be told that although the taxi trade initially backed medical reports on the grounds of public safety, the latest con- sultation suggested they believed it was unduly onerous and unnecessary. Council officers have said the cost of com- missioning reports would fall on the local authority initially, although it could be recouped through an increase in licensing fees.
A spokesman said: “It is estimated that the
cost of reports would be at least £100 to £125 each and approximately 200 would be required per annum. This is a total estimated cost of £20,000 to £25,000.” Under the existing system applicants are required to disclose any medical condi- tions which might affect their ability to drive and are asked specifically about heart problems and diabetes. If issues are identified, a report is sought and paid for by the licensing authority. According to the Scotsman, the report to the committee meeting states: “Under self-disclo- sure, very few reports are required. That implies that for a large percentage of appli- cations the report would be of no added value unless prospec- tive drivers could be said to be concealing medical conditions. There is no evidence to confirm this and no ‘hidden’ medical con- ditions have been found.” Professor Andrew Collier, based at Uni- versity Hospital Ayr, said the case of Harry Clarke, the driver who blacked out at the wheel of his lorry in Glasgow last Christ- mas – killing six people – highlighted the need for family doctors to inform patients’ medical condition to the DVLA if they believed they were a potential dan- ger.
A fatal accident inquiry into the
tragedy has heard how Mr Clarke com- plained repeatedly of vertigo, dizziness, stress, headaches and depression. It was also told that GPs can ask patients to self-report to the DVLA about their condition and, if they refuse, are within their rights to go to them with their worries. Prof Collier said: “It’s quite clear that GPs have a duty of care to notify the DVLA if they have concerns that a patient could pose a risk because of a medical condi- tion. I think many doctors are unaware of this and it needs to be highlighted.” A fatal accident inquiry has heard that the Crown Office had decided not to pro- ceed with criminal proceedings against Clarke, who had been advised not to drive after dizziness in 2003 when working as an oil tanker driver. A spokesman said that since Mr Clarke was unconscious at the time he was not in
control of his actions. Mmmm... The DVLA guidelines for medical intervals should be adhered to in Scotland as well as in England and Wales; therefore a medical should be submitted with each initial driver licence application, then five- yearly from 45 years old, then annually from age 65. Obviously any medical condition that develops in the interim should be disclosed, but that applies throughout the UK.- Ed.
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