Taxi Driver Online

Two taxi drivers hand in licences and one has renewal rejected in Milton Keynes Council interviews



FOLLOWING the taxi licensing scandal, Milton Keynes Council is continuing to review the licences of taxi drivers as part of its trade-wide overhaul of taxi licensing practices and procedures.

Two drivers, from the original list of seven who the council believed warranted review, have already surrendered their plates and licences, and are no longer operating in Milton Keynes.

Three other drivers have since appeared before the council’s Regulatory Sub-Committee, who considered all of the relevant facts.

One driver has had his application for renewal turned down, while the other two will continue to operate in Milton Keynes.

The remaining two taxi drivers are due to appear before the sub-committee as soon as is possible.

Meanwhile the council has already started carrying out enhanced DBS checks on all 1,300 or so taxi drivers – both Private Hire and Hackney Carriage drivers – operating in Milton Keynes.

As MKWeb revealed, these checks will cost taxpayers more than £66,000 but are aimed to ensure another driver with serious previous convictions such as rape is not allowed to pick up residents in Milton Keynes unless there are "exceptional circumstances".

Since the taxi licensing scandal emerged at the end of August, Milton Keynes Council has changed the review policy for drivers and made "clearer guidelines" on previous convictions.

Two of the councillors involved in the scandal, Councillor Subhan Shafiq, the former mayor, and Cllr Stuart Burke, the former chair of the licensing committee, have been given new roles, despite residents call for them to resign their roles as councillors.

Cllr Sahfiq is now a member of the health and adult social care committee and the joint negotiating committee and Cllr Burke, who was chairman of the licensing committee that granted Nadeem Ahmed Kiani a private hire taxi licence in 2011 despite his conviction of rape in 1994, will also now be a member of the overview and scrutiny management committee and working group - which is designed to hold the council to account on decisions it has made.


Read more: http://www.mkweb.co.uk/taxi-drivers-han ... z3En4jZgOe

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

Taxi driver has licence taken away by Milton Keynes Council



A 61-YEAR-OLD taxi driver has had his licence temporarily taken off him for thefts he did as a teenager.

Meanwhile taxi company, Cybercars, registered in Northampton but operating in Milton Keynes, is trying to cash in on the taxi licensing scandal by tweeting about his ‘more reliable’ CRB checks.

George Turner, from Coffee Hall, was shocked when his school badge, that allows him to take children to and from school, was suspended which he believed was part of Milton Keynes Council’s review into drivers.

He said: “Because of the actions of the mayor, I and other taxi drivers are now having their livelihoods taken away.

“I have a couple of traces of petty theft offences that were committed when I was a teenager over 40 years ago. And I haven’t been told when and if I will get my school badge back.”

A spokesman from the council said: “We have suspended a number of permissions for drivers who had contracts to take children to school, where evidence of a criminal record or caution has been found, and we are in the process of interviewing those drivers.

“We are looking at each individual case on its own merits, and some drivers, for example with minor offences going back many years, will continue to be allowed to drive on these contracts, until we’ve interviewed them.”

In the mean time, Cybercars owned by Clive Pinder based in Deanshanger and registered with South Northamptonshire Council, is trying to benefit from the taxi licensing review by tweeting comments like “@MKEYNESTAXIS: warning rapist taxi drivers from Milton Keynes but not with our firm licensed by South Northants.”


Read more: http://www.mkweb.co.uk/Taxi-driver-lice ... z3ExzKVqzJ
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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Typical overreaction from this f***wit council.

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IDFIMH

firstly an organised industry with political clout could have prevented these COUNCIL idiots from over reaction ! ie Unionised will they eevr learn

In my opinion the activities of the company doing the TEXTING renders it NOT FIT AND PROPER AND AGAIN A UNIONISED INDUSTRY WOULD BE ABLE TO INITIATE CORRECTIVE ACTION AGAINST THEM

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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

What type of exceptional circumstances could there be that would allow a convicted rapist a licence

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

A 16 year old having consensual sex with a 15 years 360 day old child, is technically rape.

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IDFIMH

when he's been fitted up by corrupt police ......it happens i know of a Driver in London who with the help of a certain organisation in Court was granted a license, it was complicated but the opinion was he was fit and proper, strangely he was from an ethnic minority Greek Cypriot, and the corrupt law offerd him a deal plead guilty only do 2 years he declined and did 5 after being found guilty on corrupt fabricated evidence.

Many years later enough doubt about the conviction and his subsequent excellent character, married with children enabled him to obtain a license rightly so in my opinion

So it can happen but its rare i believe naturally the appalling reputation of the Police in London was helpful on this occasion.

I really do not think that non Londoners recognise how absolutely disgusting the Police in London are!

_________________
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

Milton Keynes councillor storms out of meeting for 'vindictive' politics against former mayor Subhan Shaifq


COUNCILLOR Isobel McCall stormed out of a meeting last night after the health and adult social care select committee passed the motion for the council to reconsider disgraced former mayor Subhan Shafiq’s role on their committee.

Chair of the committee Cllr Alice Bramall, brought forward the motion after concerns that Cllr Shafiq’s new appointment to the committee following his involvement in the taxi licensing scandal would affect public confidence in their decisions.

But speaking at the meeting last night (Tuesday) Liberal Democrat deputy chairman of the committee Cllr McCall stood up for her fellow party member saying the motion was 'vindictive' and 'politics of the nastiest sort'.

She said: “I have been a councillor for 18 years and never have I witnessed this level of personal vindictiveness.”

As MKWeb previously reported, Cllr Shafiq resigned as mayor in August after it was discovered he had made personal recommendations for a convicted rapist to be given a taxi license.

Calls have grown for Cllr Shafiq to resign as a councillor altogether, although he has been silent on the issue and failed to answer any calls since the scandal broke.

The Lib Dems appointed Cllr Shaifiq on the health and adult social care committee on September 10 but before last night’s meeting Cllr Bramall said: "We are bringing forward an urgent motion based on the strength of public feeling about Cllr Shafiq's position on the committee.

"My concern as chair with Cllr Shafiq is that his position has been undermined so I have asked for the committee to vote on whether it should go to the full council meeting on October 22.

"Members of the council are really concerned about it as we rely on public confidence and feel it will be undermined."

At last night’s meeting three members voted for the motion, three abstained and one person voted against the motion – which was Cllr McCall.

Cllr McCall added: “I can't support this motion and I just think you are bringing politics of the nastiest sort into a committee that has a very important job to do.

“I want to remind you that all parties played a role in this, not just the Liberal Democrats.”

But Cllr Andrew Geary who is currently leader of the Conservative party while Cllr Edith Bald is away said: “I don’t think we are seeing a vindictive attack.

“What the motion is doing is looking into an error of judgement on behalf of the leadership of the Lib Dems."

Conservative Cllr Bramall concluded that politics had been removed from her motion which 'was vital to make sure the committee remained well respected'.


Read more: http://www.mkweb.co.uk/Milton-Keynes-co ... z3FYOcZo9J
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_________________
Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

The Lib Dems in my opinion are free loading scum proved by this fekking nonsense .......................how can Cllrs sit on a committee and ABSTAIN ffs they.re there to make decisions not bottle out of them

The Worlds gone fekking crazy

_________________
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

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

Petition calling for councillors’ resignations is presented to Milton Keynes Council



A petition calling for three councillors to resign over the rapist taxi driver scandal has been handed to the council.

Tonight, Milton Keynes Young Green demanded the resignation of councillors Subhan Shafiq, Gladstone McKenzie and Stuart Burke.

Ex-Mayor Councillor Shafiq resigned from his post after it was revealed he had given a reference for Nadeem Ahmed Kiani when he applied for a private hire driver’s licence.

The chair and vice-chair of the licensing committee, Mr Burke and Mr McKenzie, also stepped down, but none resigned from their positions as councillors.

http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/loca ... -1-6373346

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

If TT wants to know why people don't vote and their apathetic attitude towards politics - here's your answer.

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

Quote:

In the mean time, Cybercars owned by Clive Pinder based in Deanshanger and registered with South Northamptonshire Council, is trying to benefit from the taxi licensing review by tweeting comments like “@MKEYNESTAXIS: warning rapist taxi drivers from Milton Keynes but not with our firm licensed by South Northants.”

Same Chap???


Cab firm boss jailed for fraud

Wednesday 02 May 2007

The owner of a city cab firm who hatched a scam with his employees has been jailed illegally claiming nearly £40,000 in tax credits.

The scam involved Antonio Eshragh, who runs Capital Cars, in Milton Keynes, and his wife Maria and a number of employees falsely claiming working family tax credits over three years.

Eshragh failed to declare income from his taxi business and, he and his wife failed to declare a second property they owned, rental income and savings in order to fraudulently claim tax credit.

They were assisted by three employees David Russell, Jacqueline Brown and Clive Pinder in making further individual false claims by validating working hours they knew were false.

At Cambridge crown court, Mr Justice Hawkesworth said: "You breached the trust of the public and the state in making these false claims.

"This sentencing should serve as a deterrent to others contemplating this form of criminality."

Antonio Eshragh, aged 50, of Bibury Close, Wellinborough, Northants, pleaded guilty to 16 counts of false accounting and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.

Maria Eshragh, aged 52, of the same address, was sentenced to 125 hours community service.

David Russell, aged 34, of Grigby Rise, Coffee Hall, who pleaded guilty to 11 counts of false accounting, was sentenced to 200 hours community service.

Jacqueline Brown, aged 39, of Duparc Close, Browns Wood, who pleaded guilty to three counts of false accounting, was sentenced to 125 hours community service.

Clive Pinder, aged 38, of Ridgmont, Deanshanger, who pleaded guilty to six counts of false accounting is due to be sentenced later this month.

Jennie Kendall, spokesman for HM Revenues and Customs, said: "We are pleased the courts have recognised the seriousness of this case which involved a planned and sustained attack to steal from the public purse."

Anyone with any information relating to tax credit fraud is urged to call the Benefits Anti Fraud Helpline on 0800 854440.

http://www.miltonkeynes.co.uk/news/loca ... d-1-863377

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