Taxi Driver Online

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.

source: http://www.rossendalefreepress.co.uk/ne ... il-9001372

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

SNAFU ......................................SITUATION NORMAL ALL FEKKED UP

_________________
All posts by this contributor are made in a strictly personal capacity

I AM PROUD TO BE A CITIZEN NOBODY'S SUBJECT http://www.republic.org.u

F88K EM ALL WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND

BOOZE BOOZE BOOZE

Someone seems to be telling Porkies, Tracy?

I have considered your request under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, and
Rossendale Borough Council’s response is as follows:-
Q) Could you provide the number of hackney carriage licences issued by
the Council in the last three years?
A) This information is not available in the format requested. Please see the link to
the public register regarding the current licences:
http://www.rossendale.gov.uk/info/20009 ... _registers
Q) In the last available period, how many of the drivers had addresses within
the Council area?
A) As of today, there are currently 103 licensed hackney carriage drivers with
addresses within the Borough.

good post

_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin