NOTTINGHAM

Council bosses are looking at carrying out a major review which could see every Nottingham taxi operator only using city council licensed drivers.

Richard Antcliff, head of licensing at Nottingham City Council, said private hire companies are recruiting drivers with licences from as far away as Wolverhampton.

Mr Antcliff said some of the drivers not licensed in the city will be "plying for hire" - when they drive around the streets of the city looking for people to pick up.

He said having every driver licensed by Nottingham City Council means the local authority has more power over those drivers who flout the law.

Plying for hire has become a major issue in the city centre, especially at the weekend when Nottingham attracts thousands of revellers.

The city council's licensing team have been targeting drivers who obtain private hire licences from other councils such as Gedling, Rushcliffe and Wolverhampton and then 'tout' for business - also known as 'plying for hire' - on the streets of Nottingham.

Private hire vehicles may only pick up passengers when pre-booked, rather than from a rank or being hailed down like a city hackney cab.

But the city council says around 200 drivers are regularly breaking the law and putting the public at risk, with a small minority using their cover to commit other offences.

These can include charging high fares, and leaving the passenger uninsured if an accident was to occur while in the vehicle.

Plying for hire has become a major issue in the city centre, especially at the weekend when Nottingham attracts thousands of revellers.


The city council's licensing team have been targeting drivers who obtain private hire licences from other councils such as Gedling, Rushcliffe and Wolverhampton and then 'tout' for business - also known as 'plying for hire' - on the streets of Nottingham.

Private hire vehicles may only pick up passengers when pre-booked, rather than from a rank or being hailed down like a city hackney cab.

But the city council says around 200 drivers are regularly breaking the law and putting the public at risk, with a small minority using their cover to commit other offences.

These can include charging high fares, and leaving the passenger uninsured if an accident was to occur while in the vehicle.

He said it was acceptable for Gedling and Rushcliffe-licensed private hire drivers to drop off their fares in the city centre, but not to stay around.

He said: "They are licensed in Gedling - go work in Gedling!"

He said better relationships had been formed with Gedling and Rushcliffe Borough Council and the licensing team now has the powers to "check and challenge" drivers who are licensed with these authorities to see if they are breaching their conditions.

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Guildford 's "longest serving" taxi driver, who helped transport terrified people away from the wreckage of the Guildford bomb attack , is to have his licence revoked after taking part in a protest over lower fares.
David Williams-Wynn, 79, has been driving the town’s residents and visitors for 44 years but his long career is set to come to an end.

The father-of-four, who is chairman of the Guildford Hackney Association, was one of many taxi drivers to take part in a go-slow protest against a 16% cut in their meter rates on March 27.

The hour-long protest, which involved cabbies driving slowly around the town centre’s one-way system , is currently being investigated by Guildford Borough Council , which also warned participants they could face disciplinary action.

On Tuesday (May 8), little more than one month later, Mr Williams-Wynn was told his Hackney carriage licence will be revoked due to his "traffic offences".

The letter sent from the borough council stated CCTV from the protest shows him driving his taxi around the gyratory as part of the protest.

It added Mr Williams-Wynn’s car obstructed the road "on a number of occasions" and he parked on 'blipped' double yellow lines outside the YMCA and, as a result, the grandfather’s "driver’s badge must be returned" within 21 days.

Daughter Lynne Stewart said she was distraught to hear her upset father tell her his career could come to an abrupt end.

"He has been a taxi driver in Guildford for 44 years and was there when the Guildford bombs went off and helped many people away from the blasted area – seeing things no man should have to see," she said.

"He has been a hard working man raising his four children in Guildford, one who was a policeman in Surrey for many years and myself, a nurse and midwife.

"We have contributed to the Guildford community in many ways, it should not end like this for my dad. I believe in democracy and he surely has a right to stand up for what he believes."

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