NORTHUMBERLAND: ANGER OVER LICENSING DELAYS
ROUND THE COUNCILS MANCHESTER:
HACKNEY DRIVERS SUPPORT APPROVED
A body representing taxi drivers in Northumberland has slammed the county council over licence renewal delays. Northumberland Taxi and Private Hire Association (NTPHA) has claimed there have been delays of up to eight weeks, meaning some drivers have suffered from a significant loss of earnings while they wait for their new licence. The council has defended the licensing team, arguing August is one of the busier times of the year. A spokesman for the NTPHA said: “The council is currently running six to eight weeks behind with paperwork and taxi plates. One driver posted their paperwork in July and has still not received it back. “Some drivers have been waiting up to ten weeks. “The driver has to submit a paper licence to work with other firms, and is losing out on £1,500 a month. Our biggest fear is that this is a public safety issue. “What the council’s licensing department has said is to send them the email of the insurance company and they will say that we have paid and are fully covered - but if there was something that went wrong, if a driver was in an accident and there was a fatality, where would their insurance stand? It is scary. “The council needs to get this sorted as a matter of urgency. Drivers are losing money hand over fist.” The association insisted it was not trying to “make trouble” and instead that it was trying to “help” the council by “holding it to account”. The process has recently moved online from licensing applications being done face-to-face, which the association claims took less than an hour. Responding to the concerns, Cllr Gordon Stewart - the council’s cabinet member for communities - said: “We would refute any suggestion the taxi licensing department is understaffed and unorganised. There are currently five members in this team, not two, who have dealt with over 1,600 applications relating to taxi and private hire licensing over the last year. “Like many services, the department has busier periods throughout the year, and August is one of these times with additional applications relating to school transport. However we will always prioritise new applications and urgent business as we work to support the many taxi drivers who provide a great service to Northumberland residents.” The council also said it was not aware of “any major concerns from the wider taxi industry”.
PHTM OCTOBER 2023
Manchester City Council’s Executive has approved plans that would provide additional support to the hackney carriage trade. For a number of months the council has been exploring additional measures that could benefit drivers working in Manchester. Given the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, as well as the lingering impact of the pandemic, the taxi trade in general has endured a difficult few years. Recommendations made to the Executive include: • Making acceptance of card payments in hackney carriages mandatory
• Increase the unit cost per mile on all tariffs by 8% • Increase the waiting time fare by 23% • Increase the day flag tariff to £3.40 • Increase the night flag tariff to £3.80 This would mean the current price of a two-mile journey would increase from £7 to £8.20, or from £9.20 to £10.30 during the nighttime or on a public holiday. These recommendations have been compiled following input from the GMB and Unite unions to help understand the nature of the current hackney carriage trade, and to help the council formulate a policy that is fair for both operators of hackney carriages driver and customer. Following this approval, a consultation on the proposed changes will run through to the end of September, with a view to implementing changes during October (dependent on any objections being received). Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods said: “We are aware that recent years have been incredibly difficult for our hackey carriage drivers and vehicle owners. "This is why we’ve looked at what changes could be made to ensure this trade remains a viable one. Last year we extended the acceptable age limit for vehicles in the fleet to 15 years to assist vehicle owners. “However it was important that this policy change was balanced to ensure that consumers are still able to pay a fair price for this service. “We’ve also looked to address a common issue raised with us, that hackneys do not universally accept card payments. It’s a key priority that people are able to pay through a range of means when using this kind of service to get home.”
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