Exeter.

A city councillor has been threatened with legal action following a contentious decision to remove restrictions on the number of hackney taxis.

Members of the licensing committee voted to de-restrict the number of cabbies allowed to collect passengers from city taxi ranks and be hailed in the street.

The verdict was met with anger and consternation by drivers who accused the council of killing their livelihoods.

Since the meeting Labour councillor Gill Tippins has been sent a “dynamite” letter by hackney driver Graham Woollacott in which he claims to serve ‘legal notice’ on her.

The letter, dated March 25, reads: “If de-restriction goes ahead, I will hold you ‘totally responsible’ for any loss in my income, loss of my job, hardship in my home, hardship to my three-year-old son and his education.”

The decision was made without the commission of a survey into unmet demand.

The letter reads: “To de-restrict without carrying out a survey into unmet demand was wreckless and gross negligent (sic) by you, committee members and Exeter City Council.”

It warns unless a survey is undertaken by a ‘reputable independent survey company’ he will also hold her “totally responsible’ for various perceived negative impacts on the taxi industry, drivers and the public.

Mr Woollacott also criticised Cllr Tippins for saying that the “priority” of the committee was the public interest.

The letter goes on to request a variety of documentation from the city council under the Freedom of Information Act related to the taxi trade in Exeter, including paper copies of ‘all’ taxi surveys into unmet demand over the last 20 years.

Conservative councillor Percy Prowse said: “This letter has got dynamite contents. It infers the writer knows something which is why it is phrased in such a way.

“It appears to be the pre-cursor for legal processes, trying to establish a few facts about what the city council did and didn’t know.”

Exeter St David’s Taxi Association has promised to seek a judicial review over the ruling to remove the limit of 66 licensed hackneys.

Hassan Al-Seaidy, 58, who owns two hackney license plates, said: “This decision will affect children whose parents are being punished.

“The taxi drivers worked very hard, but now their plates will be taken away from them.

“The council does not seem to be worried about us and our livelihoods. There are so many questions for them to answer.”

At the meeting on March 16 councillors also decided to enhance quality controls for city taxis, including a distinctive colour scheme.

The new policies will come into effect on June 17.

Cllr Gill Tippins and the city council declined to comment on the letter.

Speaking after the meeting Cllr Keith Owen, lead councillor for environment, health and wellbeing, said the committee had “considered carefully” the arguments for and against de-restriction. He said several members had found it a “difficult” decision to make.

http://www.exeterexpressandecho.co.uk/Exeter-taxi-driver-threatens-legal-action-city/story-26303523-detail/story.html?#ixzz3Wk9wSuih 

Comment: Bullshit letter,

Firstly; It has been established many times that a Council can de-limit whenever they wish, as long as they consult with the trade first. (Liverpool 1972)

A council only needs a Survey to keep numbers down, this has been the case since the implementation of the 1985 Transport Act.

Secondly; you cannot take court action against an Individual Councillor, for a Council decision. That much is obvious, if you could take action against an individual the system would never work. Not that it does now anyway.

Good luck to the Exeter Lads, you will need it.
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Police and Crime Commissioner to meet council bosses over taxi licensing safeguarding in Rossendale

Lancashire’s police boss will meet with licensing chiefs to discuss safeguarding within Rossendale’s taxi trade.

Police and Crime Commissioner Clive Grunshaw is due to meet the council’s chief executive and licensing bosses to discuss issues within the local Hackney and Private Hire trade.

The action comes just weeks after a Rochdale council report claimed that its work to protect vulnerable residents was undermined by a ‘legal loophole’ which allows Hackney Carriage vehicles licensed by one authority to work in another area as a Private Hire vehicle.

Rochdale council claimed Rossendale council also adopted a ‘lower standard’ for its drivers in areas of language skills, area knowledge and safeguarding. Rossendale council said it refuted various aspects of the report.

Mr Grunshaw raised the issue of taxi licensing when he recently met with Rossendale councillors to discuss police and crime plan priorities and funding cuts.

He said: “I met with councillors recently and took part in a workshop with them.

“The main purpose of my visit was to discuss with them my police and crime plan priorities and the continuing impact of funding cuts, although the issue of taxi licensing was raised and that we have agreed to a formal meeting to discuss this issue.”

Coun Gladys Sandiford, who attended the meeting with Mr Grunshaw, said: “The commissioner raised taxi licensing himself at the meeting.

“He had a letter from his correspondent in Leeds complaining vociferously about the number of taxi licences.

“It seems there are a lot of Rossendale taxis in Leeds causing all sorts of problems.”

A Rossendale council spokesman said: “Our chief executive called for this meeting and we are awaiting to hear back from Mr Grunshaw’s office with regards a date he can attend.”

Around 1,200 cabbies are currently using Rossendale council licences to drive outside of the Valley and 2,412 drivers are licensed by the authority.

Rossendale council has confirmed that half of these are using their licences to drive passengers in neighbouring boroughs such as Rochdale, Bradford and Manchester.

Licensing bosses recently recommended introducing a basic skills test for drivers in a bid to cut down on the number of drivers applying for licences.