..ROUND THE COUNCILS KIRKCALDY: TWO NEW RANKS TO HELP TAXI TRADE
Kirkcaldy now has two new taxi ranks which Fife Council hopes will help attract more shoppers and boost the town’s ailing taxi industry. Councillors on Fife’s Kirkcaldy area committee had approved a new rank on St Clair Street earlier in the year to replace the existing one on Cromarty Place. And now following further discussions with the Kirkcaldy Taxi Asso- ciation and Fife Central Retail Park management the council has installed another in the retail park near Sains- bury’s supermarket. SNP councillor Carol Lindsay, Kirkcaldy area vice-convener and convener of the regulation and licensing committee, said: “People’s shopping patterns are changing so taxi rank locations need to adapt too. This is another positive step in addressing the changing issues Kirkcaldy faces.” Dawn Hunter, from Kirkcaldy Taxi Association, said: “Kirk- caldy taxis have had it hard for the past few years after Tesco closed its doors then the closure of several big name stores on the High Street. So we welcome the two new taxi ranks in the town and we are hopeful they will develop into busy ranks and benefit the people of Kirkcaldy too.”
GLASGOW: PRICE HIKE FOR TAXI INSPECTIONS
Glasgow City Council has reversed its decision to increase the price of annual taxi inspections. Drivers had accused the local authority of a “profiteering ploy” for its suggested increase from £51.50 to £61.50 for the twice-yearly inspections. The council had said that the £10 increase was to cover additional costs of extra sanitising pro- cedures before the cabs went for inspection during the pandemic. But in a letter seen by the Glasgow Times, Andy Waddell, the council’s director of Neighbourhoods and Sustainability, said the move had been scrapped. He wrote: “Our costs to enable this cleaning regime are cal- culated to be in excess of the proposed £10 charge, however, after careful consideration and also in appreciation of the difficulties faced by your members, we have decided not to introduce these charges at this time.” Chairman of Glasgow Cab Section, Calum Anderson, who had described the increase as “unjustifiable”, said: “We are grateful that the council took on board the concerns of Unite Cab Section.” A Glasgow City Council spokesman said: “We have accepted the representations from the taxi and private hire trade that the £10 cleaning charge was an additional burden that licence holders would struggle with during the continuing covid-19 emergency.”
OCTOBER 2020 HALIFAX: DRIVERS SUSPENDED DURING POLICE OP
A number of taxi drivers were reported for traffic offences and some were suspended during a police operation in Halifax. According to the Halifax Courier, on Thursday August 13 Calderdale Neighbourhood Policing Team worked with the council’s taxi licencing team to tackle traffic offences and taxi and PHV checks on Shay Lane in Halifax. In total 15 drivers were reported for traffic offences including using a mobile phone and numerous seatbelt offences. while a number of other taxis and PHVs were given work to complete for the safety of passengers and vehicle upkeep. A spokesperson for the NPT said: “We will continue to work independently and with other agencies to apprehend those individuals who feel that road traffic law does not apply to them. Calderdale neighbourhood policing team is regularly tackling the fatal four traffic offences – speeding, seatbelts, drink and Drug driving, and the use of mobile phones whilst driving.”
MENDIP: FREE SAFEGUARDING SESSIONS GIVEN
Mendip District Council's Licensing Team is delivering safe- guarding sessions to all licensed taxi and private hire drivers in Shepton Mallet. Due to the Covid crisis the free sessions, which meet the new Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards, are taking place virtually. Over 40 drivers took part in the first two courses, and more have booked to attend the sessions dur- ing September and October. Safeguarding training was made mandatory for Mendip drivers in June this year and current drivers must take the virtual course within 12 months. All new applicants must complete the training before obtaining a licence. The course content covers the following topics: awareness of different forms of exploitation; recognising the signs of exploitation and abuse; understanding what safeguarding is and knowing who to contact in the case of a suspected safe- guarding issue. Cllr Sam Phripp, Chair of Mendip's Licensing Board, said: "Taxi drivers can play an important role in the safeguarding process. They are in a privileged position and sometimes they are wit- ness to issues relating to vulnerable children and adults. "We want our drivers to be alert to any potential issues, and to know what to do if and when they have concerns." Cllr Phripp added: "The take-up rate for our first two ses- sions was excellent, as was the feedback from the drivers." Those Shepton Mallet drivers who are unable to complete the course online, are being offered socially distanced train- ing delivered in groups in person. More details here:
www.mendip.gov.uk/safeguarding training.
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