LONDON 

Parliament to debate "The Future of Black Cabs in London". This is a new item, only recently added to the calender. I note the day chosen is the one before the next Bumper trade Demo.

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Middlesbrough taxi drivers' fees to rise while vehicle licences will go down
Sarah Dale

Taxi drivers’ fees will rise under new rules drawn up for Middlesbrough’s taxi and private hire trade.

Under new proposals, drivers’ fees will rise by £149 to £204 for new applicants and by £57 to £112 for renewals.

Meanwhile vehicle licences will be cut by an average of around £230 for new applications and £175 for renewal.

The move follows a review of Middlesbrough Council’s taxi fees, and will be considered at a council meeting today.

A 56-day consultation on the fees will then be carried out before their introduction at the start of next year at the latest.

The review was launched after a complaint to the Local Government Ombudsman that the authority could not demonstrate how its existing fees were calculated.

While fees - for both operators and drivers - had increased in line with inflation over recent years, the authority was unable to show that they were an accurate reflection of administering the service.

The council was forced to apologise to Teesside’s largest taxi company Boro Taxis after the Local Government Ombudsman reprimanded Middlesbrough Council following the complaint by Christine Bell, Boro Taxis’ company secretary. The fees have now been recalculated with help from Capita Local Government.

A current surplus in the taxi licensing budget of £137,000 will be used to offset the cost of new and renewing vehicle applications.

The new fee structure will come into force in either December or January.

The move also sees the introduction of optional three-year driver licences and five-year private hire operator licences, as required by a new law.

The new licences will be introduced at the same time as the new fees structure, with applicants in the interim being offered a one-year licence at the existing fee.

Once the new fee structure is implemented, drivers and operators who have paid for a one-year licence during the consultation period will be able to convert it to the appropriate new licence.

Councillor Julia Rostron, executive member for adult health and social care, said: “Middlesbrough Council has for a number of years adopted a similar approach to taxi licensing fees to authorities up and down the country. We do however accept that the basis for this approach could not be fully evidenced.

“The new structure will result in some considerable changes, but the work that has gone into its formulation will ensure that the fees charged accurately represent the costs involved in the licensing process, as well as reflecting the reduced cost of the taxi licensing service as a whole.”

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/middlesbrough-taxi-drivers-fees-rise-10016592