Taxi Driver Online

Milton Keynes Council fine taxi driver

https://www.mkfm.com/news/local-news/mi ... xi-driver/

A taxi driver licensed by Cambridge City Council has been fined a total of £710 for obstructing an authorised officer.

The incident took place at Station Square on 1 May 2024 when a Milton Keynes City Council Licensing Officer approached Karl Stamper’s vehicle during routine taxi and private hire licensing checks. The driver refused to co-operate and got into his vehicle and drove away. Mr Stamper was later invited for interview with Milton Keynes City Council to explain his actions but he declined the invitation.

As a result, the city council took the matter to court. On 20 February 2025, Mr Stamper pleaded guilty to obstructing an authorised officer. He was subsequently fined £150; and must pay costs to the city council of £500 and a victim surcharge of £60.

Cambridge City Council will now review his hackney carriage driving licence.

Cabinet Member for Regulatory Services, Cllr Mick Legg said: “We don’t carry these inspections out for the sake of it – it’s to ensure that all taxi drivers have the appropriate license to carry passengers. This could have been easily avoided if the driver had simply complied which he was obliged to do. My thanks go to our licensing officers who regularly carry out checks to keep everyone safe.”

_________________
IDFIMH

That's a long way from home so presumably on a booking rather than trying to rank so why the attitude ?

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

So for this obstruction charge to be brought, there must be an enforcement protocol in place between MK and Cambridge councils, presumably, or how does this work?

And are drivers told about which 'enforcement protocols' are in place, and thus which councils' LOs they have to co-operate with?

And, again, obviously a council here that's keen on going to court with prosecutions for relatively minor matters.

Maybe the fella was waiting on a rank, which wouldn't need any dual council cooperation.

I think he used to be one of the top dogs of the Cambridge taxi trade, so maybe he felt he was too important to follow the rules.

_________________
IDFIMH

Maybe, Sussex, but the piece made it sound like routine badge checks and the like, but of course it could have been something less routine...


There was also this, which sounded a bit bizarre at any time...


I would get MK council informing the driver's licensing council that the driver had refused to co-operate, and suggesting they take action, but the above sounds a bit full on...unless, of course, it was something pretty serious...but again nothing in the piece to suggest that, and presumably if it had been something more serious that might have been mentioned?

Of course, the lack of information means having to read between the lines to work out precisely what might have happened, so who knows?

(Looked on MK Council's website to see if the original source was maybe a news release with more information, but couldn't find anything...)

They wouldn't have the powers to order him to show his badge etc, unless they were authorised by his local council. Something I very much doubt.

They could ask if they viewed or suspected him of breaching their local rules/bylaws.

_________________
IDFIMH