PROTEST PLIGHT
VICTORY FOR EAST STAFFS CABBIES AFTER 2 DAYS OF PROTESTS AS JUDICIAL REVIEW TO TAKE PLACE
Cabbies in East Staffordshire have won their fight to extend the deadline of the introduction of controversial emissions rules for their cars. It comes after two days of protests in Burton which saw dozens of cabbies gather to vent their upset and anger. StaffordshireLive reports that they spent Monday and Tuesday September 27, protesting outside East Stafford BC’s licensing office demanding an extension to the deadline of Friday, September 30. The council wanted all taxis to conform to the latest 'Euro Six' European lower emissions standard, but drivers said the upgrades would cost thousands and in some cases would mean cabbies shelling out for new cars which drivers would struggle with due to the cost of living crisis. Now, the council has extended the deadline while a Judicial Review takes place
into the council's
decision. A judicial review is a type of court proceeding when a review takes place
to look at the
lawfulness of a decision or action made by a public body. Up to 60 cabbies took part in the protests demanding the deadline was extended and council bosses met face to face with drivers to discuss the matter. At the time of the protest Asif Hussain, from Burton Taxi Drivers’ Association, who has been a taxi driver in Burton for over a decade, said: “We are protesting as we feel let down by ESBC. They are not supporting us. “The DfT said it is not a national requirement for taxis to meet the
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Euro Six standard. The decision that has been made is unfair and unjust. The Euro Six standard is for manufacturers, its got nothing to do with us. The council went with the Euro Six ruling and ran with it. “We wanted to know if it a national requirement because we have done Freedom of Information requests asking if councils including Derby
City, South
Derbyshire, Birmingham, North West Leicestershire, Bolsover and Derbyshire Dales aren’t following their Euro Six standard but instead the age of the car. Why is ESBC following this Euro Six policy unlike any other council near us?” He added: “Lots of our drivers have school contracts but those are being ripped up because they can’t afford it. A lot of drivers have bonds with school pupils, the ones who go to special schools. Some of us are considering to go work in Swadlincote and get registered by South Derbyshire instead with their cars which are compliant there but not here.” He said Burton was a “small town which doesn’t have a CAZ,
like
Birmingham, so why is this being forced upon us? There are around 40 million registered vehicles in the UK and taxis [both private hire and hackney] are around 300,000.
We don’t make even one per cent on the roads so why is ESBC targeting us? “We have Euro Five engines which are only one down from the one they are trying to force onto us. We are being discriminated against.” He added: “Why are they pushing for this 2022 deadline when the government’s own net zero policy which ESBC have claimed to be in line with isn’t until 2030. After the council extended the deadline, Asif said: “We would like to thank all the operators, drivers and our customers.” He said they had all come together to show their support when needed. He added: “We would like to thank those in the council who helped us reach some kind of resolution. This is a positive step in the right direction but we still have far to go. “We just want a level playing field, it's our trade and we have more than enough right to voice our concerns on how it's governed. We don't want our rights violated, or our voices subdued; our livelihoods destroyed by unfair policies that don't help anyone. “Moving forward, we would like the council to support us and listen to us to make things fair, so that the policies are not unjust.” A spokesperson from the authority said: “The council has agreed to extend the deadline whilst legal proceedings are taking place. “The council will not know how long the extension is until the Judicial Review has been completed. “We are initially saying a period of three months, however, it may well end up being longer than this.”
OCTOBER 2022 PHTM
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