Taxi Driver Online

East Ayrshire taxi drivers considered for suspension

https://www.ayrshire-today.co.uk/news/2 ... uspension/

A number of East Ayrshire taxi drivers have been cited for suspension for failure to attend a disability awareness training course, according to a council report.

The report, by the council's Chief Governance Officer David Mitchell, will be put to the Local Government Licensing Panel this week.

It's recommended that the panel consider the suspension of up to 11 drivers in the area for failing to attend the course.

Licensing conditions for taxi and private hire cars show that drivers must attend such types of training courses.

According to the report, license holders are invited to attend a disability course on at least three occasions before being referred to the Licensing Panel for consideration of suspension.

It's added that "licensing staff have made numerous attempts to contact the license holders by letter, email and phone".

Staff have made contact with some of the named drivers, but some have not been reachable and they have been made aware of the process for failing to attending the training course.

The report adds that it's accepted that some of the drivers may not still be using their license, "but have neither engaged with the Licensing Unit nor surrendered their licenses to allow record to be updated."

The drivers named on the East Ayrshire Council website and recommended for the suspension of the license are: Ryan Hall; Scott Prentice; Jamie Hughes; Campbell Graham; Thomas McClung; Campbell Anderson; Jonathan Griffen; Taylor Brown; Graeme Tudhope; Paul Walsh; James Lennon.

Disability awareness training course are held monthly at East Ayrshire Council headquarters, with the next one scheduled for September 9.

_________________
IDFIMH

_________________
IDFIMH

those drivers have prevented the officials from ticking a box and as we all know failure to box tick in local government circles is deemed akin to treason

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

But is losing your livelihood really a price worth paying?

_________________
IDFIMH

Probably not much to it, and I'd guess they're mostly on three-year badges and have long since given up on the trade, assuming they were ever much involved in the first place - the Saturday night/Wednesday afternoon types, or doing a few weeks on the taxis till they find a 'proper job'.

That's assuming they've ever used their badge in the first place


By the same token, if the badge had run its course it very probably wouldn't have been renewed.

To be fair to officials, they have to do it, because they can't just ignore it, for obvious reasons.

I mean, it says the courses are held monthly, so they've had three reminders over three months, so over the course of a three-year badge they could have given up quite some time ago.

But maybe the council and/or the press have made a bit of a meal over a bit of basic and necessary admin and procedural. For example, not really sure the drivers had to be specifically listed and named.

East Ayrshire taxi drivers suspension for missing course

A HANDFUL of East Ayrshire taxi drivers have been cited for suspension for failure to attend a disability awareness training course, according to a council report.

The report, by the council's chief governance officer David Mitchell, will be put to the local government licensing panel next week.

It is recommended that the panel consider the suspension of up to eight drivers in the area for failing to attend the course.

Licensing conditions for taxi and private hire cars show that drivers must attend such types of training courses.

According to the report, license holders are invited to attend a disability course on at least three occasions before being referred to the licensing panel for consideration of suspension.

It is added that "licensing staff have made numerous attempts to contact the license holders by letter, email and phone".

Staff have made contact with some of the named drivers, but some have not been reachable and they have been made aware of the process for failing to attend the training course.

The report adds that it's accepted that some of the drivers may not still be using their license, "but have neither engaged with the licensing unit nor surrendered their licenses to allow records to be updated".

The drivers named on the East Ayrshire Council website and recommended for the suspension of the license are: James Billingham; Marcus Sloan; Basharat Khan; Anthony Hawthorn; James Dunnachie; Ahmed Alkassim; Hamad Al-Khalil and Brian Kelly.

Disability awareness training course are held monthly at East Ayrshire Council headquarters, with the next one scheduled for October 4 from 10am-12pm.

_________________
IDFIMH

That has got to be a breach of their data protection rights.

What other reason than spite would a council name them individually?

_________________
IDFIMH

crime of the century

_________________
lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

That's the issue for me, no crime has been committed, yet the council are now banging out their names all over the place making it sound like they have done something wrong, when in fact they might only have retired from the trade.

_________________
IDFIMH

I'm inclined to blame the press maybe, rather than the council - I'd guess the names have to be listed on the agenda papers for legal/procedural reasons, and it's the press who go a wee bit over the top by listing them all. In the normal course of events the names might be in the public domain, but effectively hidden away in official council papers which no one ever reads (even councillors themselves, to a degree at least ).

As for 'crime of the century', well of course it isn't.

But, I mean, if something's required as a condition of licence, and it's not adhered to, then the council could hardly ignore it