Council responds, "nothing to see here".
Kirklees taxi driver left out of work for weeks after council delays leave him without a licencehttps://www.examinerlive.co.uk/news/wes ... t-25140215Zulfiqar Ali has been unable to make a living for six weeksA Kirklees taxi driver has been left out of work for weeks on end after the council failed to approve the renewal of his licence.
Zulfiqar Ali knew his licence was up for renewal and so got in contact with the council who sent off a request for an enhanced DBS check on July 1. His licence then expired on August 18, but he had not yet received any news on when his licence might be renewed.
This meant he was out of work and unable to earn money, so Mr Ali got in contact with DBS themselves and asked them how long the process would take. He was told on August 19 the DBS department had sent an email to Kirklees Council requesting information, but had not received a reply.
Mr Ali says he then tried to raise this with the council but received little help, particularly as they say they will respond to any emails within 10 days, which is a long time to wait for any response. Two weeks ago, they then said they would help Mr Ali send off a fresh application, but he has been unable to earn money for six weeks and this could take weeks more to be approved.
He said: “I’ve been driving since 1997, it’s not like I've just started here and really, just the way I’ve been treated and my application is just very unfair.”
Mr Ali added: “I mean six weeks, almost seven weeks now, out of work, you can understand yourself how difficult it is with expenses, home expenses, car insurance and everything else.”
He also said it was frustrating trying to get in contact with anyone at the council to help him as he calls through the switchboard and he can’t go to senior management. With emails he is left having to wait up to ten days for a response.
A Kirklees Council spokesperson responded said they couldn't comment on individual cases, but urged My Ali to contact the team directly to help resolve any issues.
They added: “Kirklees Council Licensing Team has set procedures in place which must be followed by drivers wanting to apply for or renew taxi licences.
Now, Mr Ali is even looking to get out of the taxi business and is attempting to pass his exams to become a lorry driver, although he still hopes his licence application is approved so he can earn money while he does this.
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