Taxi Driver Online

WARRING taxi leaders have been told to bury the hatchet after one group vowed to go all the way to the United Nations to retain its status as the official representative of the trade in Bolton.

Charles Oakes, chairman of the Bolton Hackney Association, is furious that his group is to be replaced by rivals, the Bolton Taxi Drivers' Association, on the council"s licensing committee. His group"s year long stay on the committee is to come to an end under rules dictating that the organisation with the largest membership every May is chosen to represent drivers of black cabs for the next 12 months. According to council figures, Mr Oakes' organisation has 11 fewer members than the 69 member-strong Bolton Taxi Drivers" Association.

He now intends to take his fight to the UN Commission for Human Rights claiming that both groups should sit on the committee and that a number of his rival group's members are no longer working as cabbies in Bolton - a claim rubbished by his opposite number, Bill Williams. Cllr Andy Morgan, vice-chairman of the licensing committee, which considers applications for hackney carriage licences, urged the two groups to stop bickering and join together to represent all of the drivers of black cabs in Bolton.

But Mr Oakes said: "Most of the drivers want me to represent them because they know I will stand up for their interests." Mr Oakes set up his organisation two years ago when he lost the chairmanship of the Bolton Taxi Drivers Association following a ballot. His new group has represented the trade on the committee since then as it had the largest membership.

But the leader of the Bolton Taxi Driver"s Association, Mr Williams, said: "When he was on the committee he was happy for only one group to be there. We look forward to representing taxi drivers in Bolton."

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IDFIMH

I've got a ground breaking solution to all their woes.

Why not have both associations involved in the council's committee? Maybe even have PH representation present as well.

How any one association can say they represent all licensed drivers, I know not, because they don't, and only a stupid council would assume that.

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IDFIMH

Yes, you would think that any ass that could demonstrate a significant membership would be allowed on - it's not as if one has a hundred and the other has half a dozen.

I doubt if the UN would be very interested though, presumably he means the ECHR?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

SUSSEXY

I do believe that you have found something that we agree upon.
we call it a joint trades committee working in parnership with your council mr T ....

we have had a taxi forum with the council for nearly 20 years.
the only problem is most of that time the cab sectiion has been represented by idiots whp no nothing about nothing.
in the past the council has ran rings around them.
the ph lad is a bit more savy.
be nice when he gets his plates and can help us out.