Wisbech taxi drivers disrupt historic county council meeting with Horsefair protest
More than 30 cabbies marched into The Boathouse with placards criticising Fenland District Council’s £75,000 plans to move the rank on Horsefair bus station.
Cambridgeshire County Council’s Cabinet had discussed their multi-million pound vision for Wisbech and were holding a question and answer session when the drivers gathered at the back of the room.
Councillor Dave Patrick, Chairman of Wisbech and District Hackney Carriage Drivers’ Association, said: “We took our placards and walked to the back of the room. We were allowed to speak and then we were advised it was an FDC matter.
“Basically we felt that the only way we could actually get something done was to embarrass FDC in front of their higher tier.”
County council leader Nick Clarke told the protestors: “I will fight my corner but this isn’t my fight.”
Wisbech’s taxi drivers are furious at the district council’s plan to move the rank, which would force pedestrians to cross a road in order to reach it.
Placards at today’s protest carried messages including: “14 years. No deaths. No injuries. So why spend £100k to move the rank?”, “Give people what they want and leave taxi rank alone” and “It’s not broke so don’t fix it”.
But Wisbech county councillor Samantha Hoy criticised the taxi drivers, and Cllr Patrick, for interrupting the meeting.
She said on Twitter: “He has disrupted the cabinet discussing 90million pounds being spent in Wisbech to discuss taxis again. Shameful.”
source: http://www.cambstimes.co.uk/
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