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Taxi drivers in strike threat
Furious taxi drivers in Bury St Edmunds could strike, after St Edmundsbury borough councillors recommended tough new rules to control driving standards.
Sean Whitfield, chairman of the Bury St Edmunds Taxi Drivers' Association, said members were planning to fight the proposed changes to the licensing system, which could force new cab drivers to complete a Driving Standards Agency driving assessment before being allowed out on the roads.
He said hackney carriage and private hire firms were outraged by the proposals, which could also see drivers suspended if they accrue more than six points on their licence in one year.
Mr Whitfield said: "People are incensed by this as we are struggling to make ends meet as it is. "Some of the drivers are talking about having a wild-cat strike."
Angry drivers packed a meeting of the borough council's licensing and regulatory committee on Monday, which recommended approval of the assessments, which could mean a new applicant would have to wait up to eight weeks before they could start trading.
Mr Whitfield, who has presented a 130-name petition to the borough council in protest at the new regulations, spoke out against the proposed changes at the meeting, which he said were discriminating against taxi drivers.
He said: "The drivers are fuming about it as it is stopping people coming into the trade. "We don't need more legislation, it is bureaucracy gone mad."
The council also intends to encourage drivers to display a St Edmundsbury borough crest in two of their windows, for which it was intending to charge £5 each, but has since decided to introduce on a free, one-year trial.
Sara Mildmay-White, portfolio holder for community and resources, said the changes were intended to improve public safety, as the need to regulate drivers was heightened by the credit crunch which could see more drivers entering the trade.
She said: "We appreciate the drivers' concerns, but we do expect a reasonably, professional standard from them. "They are very, very good, so there is even more reason to expect high standards from new drivers entering the trade."
The proposals will go before the borough council's cabinet on Wednesday.
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