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| Bridgend councillors support national database for Wales http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=33990 |
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| Author: | StuartW [ Thu Feb 21, 2019 8:56 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Bridgend councillors support national database for Wales |
No surprise that there's support for a national database, but hardly surprising that councillors don't want a fully centralised system in Wales. The Wales debate shaping up a bit like the regional megazones in England. A national database of taxi drivers could be created in Wales https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/loca ... d-15866779 It will see information about drivers shared across all local authorities Councillors in Bridgend have supported proposals for a national database of taxi drivers and private hire operators which would see local authorities in Wales share information on whether drivers have had their licenses suspended or revoked. At the moment there is no legal requirement for councils to share information with one another which might help them make decisions when they issue licenses. Local authorities set their own licensing standards leading to fears some drivers are applying for licenses in areas where standards are lower and then operating in areas whose standards they don’t meet – and where enforcement action can not be taken against them. There is no legislation which enables a council to take enforcement action against a driver licensed in a different local authority. The proposal for a national database is one of several major changes on licensing taxis being looked into by the Welsh Government. It wants to reform the legislative framework which governs taxis and private hire vehicles. Some existing laws date back to 1847. Other government proposals would allow councils to take enforcement action against any vehicle operating in its area, create national standards for all councils – and take licensing functions away from local authorities altogether by creating a new, national licensing authority. Licensing policy officer Daniel Cook told councillors at Monday’s Bridgend Council licensing committee: “The proposal to create national standards operating throughout Wales would hopefully reduce the risk of applicants choosing to shop around for lower standards. “At the moment if a driver is refused a licence in Bridgend no-one in the 21 other local authorities would be aware of that. “If they had received a criminal conviction that would show up on a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check but when their behaviour was questionable and didn’t lead to a conviction there is no way for other authorities to know.” Councillor Tom Beedle said there should be some uniformity across Wales, adding: “Recently there was the alarming information that came out of the London boroughs where taxi drivers convicted of sexual offences were moving between boroughs and becoming licensed.” A public consultation is currently taking place on the proposals. Officers told councillors in Bridgend that the proposals were “broad in nature” and were likely to lead to further consultation in the future once details had been finalised. Councillors voted in favour of authorising the head of Shared Regulatory Services to respond to the consultation on behalf of the council. They said they supported proposals for a shared database and the creation of national standards but said they preferred the option of allowing local authorities to continue to have responsibility for licensing taxis and private hire operators as opposed to control being passed into a national licensing authority. The Welsh Government published its White Paper outlining proposals to reform the licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles in December. |
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| Author: | StuartW [ Thu Feb 21, 2019 9:00 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bridgend councillors support national database for Wales |
Bridgend Licensing policy officer Daniel Cook wrote: “If they had received a criminal conviction that would show up on a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check but when their behaviour was questionable and didn’t lead to a conviction there is no way for other authorities to know.” Is that wholly correct? Quote: Councillor Tom Beedle said there should be some uniformity across Wales, adding: “Recently there was the alarming information that came out of the London boroughs where taxi drivers convicted of sexual offences were moving between boroughs and becoming licensed.” That's nonsense, surely - individual London boroughs don't licence drivers - TfL does it for the whole of London? |
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| Author: | Sussex [ Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:37 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bridgend councillors support national database for Wales |
Quote: Is that wholly correct? I suspect what he is trying to say is that the DBS checks don't assess the character/attitude/general behaviour of drivers. |
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| Author: | Sussex [ Thu Feb 21, 2019 11:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Bridgend councillors support national database for Wales |
Quote: That's nonsense, surely - individual London boroughs don't licence drivers - TfL does it for the whole of London? StuartW I suspect the councillor is getting confused between London boroughs and borough/district councils just outside i.e. Essex in the case the councillor quoted. |
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