BLACKPOOL

A cab driver who was involved in a brawl after which a man collapsed and died from a heart attack has had his taxi driving licence revoked following a decision at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court.

Wyre Council’s licencing committee revoked 62 year old Michael Sharples’ licence following CCTV footage of a fight he was involved in on Sunday July 22 at the Kings Arms in Fleetwood.

David Allinson, who was also involved in the incident, collapsed and died outside the pub, despite efforts to save his life.

The committee concluded that Mr Sharples no longer met the high standards required to hold a Wyre dual driver licence.

However, Mr Sharples lodged an appeal against the licensing committee’s decision on 16 August to revoke his dual driver licence with immediate effect, exercising his right of appeal

At the hearing, at Blackpool Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday, the bench dismissed Mr Sharples’appeal.

The magistrates reviewed the CCTV footage and heard Mr Sharples’ oral evidence and that of the council’s senior licensing officer.

Based on the evidence before them, the Magistrates’ court found that Mr Sharples should no longer hold his position as a taxi driver in Wyre and the council’s decision was upheld.

Coun Julie Robinson, chairman of Wyre Council’s licencing committee, commented: “We are pleased that the magistrates upheld the committee’s decision.

“Wyre Council places public safety at the heart of taxi licensing decisions and we will not accept violent behaviour by licensed drivers.”

Mr Sharples was also ordered to contribute £500 towards the council’s costs.

https://goo.gl/Ypxbh4
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RENFREWSHIRE


  COUNCILLORS will meet with taxi chiefs as they look for ways to support the service in Renfrewshire.

The talks, set to be held in the next month, have been organised after it was claimed the public weren’t being served by the trade at last week’s Regulatory Functions Board.
Renfrewshire Cab Co manager Hannah McCulloch met with Councillor Eddie Devine to discuss the taxi trade this week.

It has now been agreed that a further meeting will be held, which elected members from Renfrewshire Council will be encouraged to attend.

READ MORE: Worried Renfrewshire parents slam additional support needs proposals

Councillor Devine said: “I went down and had a chat with Hannah on Monday and she offered a more in depth meeting to look at how the system works and how their calls are handled.

“She was very open and happy to go into details about how it works.

“I’m hoping to find out how things work and quite frankly, are the council making things harder or easier and can they help?”

Concerns had been raised by members about the lack of availability of taxis in Paisley, both late at night and in the early hours of the morning.

Ms McCulloch assured her firm was operational at peak evening weekend times but was open to suggestions of how to “better the service” for members of the public.

She said: “I invited Eddie to the office and after a good discussion I felt it could be beneficial to extend invitation to any other councillors concerned with taxi and private hire trade to meet with me at our offices.

“It’s important to be mindful that we’re discussing a four hour window, 11pm to 3am, out of a 168-hour week, where normal pick up times are within five to 10 minutes.

“However, I’ve cooperated with the likes of Pub Watch and Paisley First in the past and we’re always open to suggestions to better the service for the Paisley public.”

https://www.the-gazette.co.uk/news/17244805.renfrewshire-councillors-to-meet-taxi-chiefs-to-discuss-fare-rises/
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DUBLIN

A bogus taxi driver was caught by gardai on Friday operating out of Dublin Airport.

The fraudulent driver had picked up two passengers from the airport when they were pulled over by the authorities.

Gardai seized the vehicle for no insurance and a number of other offences and they will appear in court at a later date.

Gardai were conducting the operation in tandem with the National Transport Authority.

A spokesperson tweeted: "A joint operation yesterday between Gardaí and the NTA, a bogus taxi detected working out of Dublin Airport, car had picked up two passengers.

If you are getting a taxi there are some easy steps to ensure that the driver is legitimate and not a fake.

Transport for Ireland have a page on their website where you enter their driver license number, which should be displayed in the car, and their credentials will immediately pop up.

https://www.dublinlive.ie/news/dublin-news/gardai-catch-fake-taxi-driver-15459445
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