Taxi Driver Online

Another slightly odd classic of the Wolves genre, but which is after the Casey stuff, but doesn't seem aware of it. Or maybe they just prefer not to possibly link this stuff to the grooming gang thing...

Anyway, as usual it's not like me to nitpick but where highlighted below this makes it sound like Wolverhampton is issuing licecnes specifically for Hull, or whatever.

No, Wolverhampton is issuing Wolverhampton badges and plates, and Wolverhampton operator's licences, and they can work in Hull because a Hull operator can subcontract work to a Wolverhampton operator


Council backs Labour call to end taxi licensing loophole

https://www.thehullstory.com/allarticle ... g-loophole

Hull City Council has backed Labour councillors’ call for new legislation to bring an end to “out-of-town” taxi licensing.

The Labour group says current loopholes mean councils such as Wolverhampton can issue taxi licences for cities including Hull.

There are fears certain councils may not have the checks and balances in place that Hull City Council has, which may lead to concerns about safety and frustration for taxi drivers who use the local licencing service.

Taxi licences cannot be refused unless there is a good reason for doing so but currently thousands of licences are being issued for other areas, Hull Labour said.

Councillor Daren Hale, leader of the opposition Labour Group at Hull City Council, said: “The Labour Group has long held the view that local councils should be fully responsible for checking taxi licence applications and issuing them locally.

“A recent freedom of information request revealed that 96 per cent of licences issued by Wolverhampton Council alone went to post codes outside of the council area, and we are talking about many thousands of licences.”

Deputy Labour group leader, Councillor Sharon Hofman, said: “It is not the point that other councils apply the same rigorous checks as Hull or not. The point is local residents have every right to expect that taxis operating in Hull have been authorised by their local authority and Hull taxi drivers should also be able to rely on the local authority to ensure consistency.”

She added: “It is not just about Hull; this is a national problem. Local authorities can issue licences for anywhere in the country and it will take national legislation to stop this happening. As a result of this Labour motion, the council has written to the Local Government Minister Jim McMahon MP asking that such legal changes are added to the imminent Local Government Bill.”

That's another one that sounds a tad like the soldiers in the jungle who don't realise the war is over.

Of course, maybe they do know all that's going on with the devolution white paper and the regional transport authorities etc, and even the Casey stuff

And maybe they've effectively been instructed by the Labour government in London to do this sort of stuff to help it all along, while trying to make it look like they're doing so independently.

But that's the way politics works, effectively, but we're maybe not so much used to this kind of national stuff as regards trade licensing

it's funny how all of these articles stem from councillors.

it couldn't have anything to do with loss of their highly profitable licensing revenue could it.

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

Don't know about revenue specifically, but if you're in charge of licensing then even from a power and status point of view you're not going to like what Wolverhampton is doing, even ignoring stuff like the safety aspect.

I mean, one council's vanity project is other councils' loss of rank and status

And to the extent that there's any element of local capture between the trade and councillors, any external undermining of that isn't going to be welcomed

The more councillors bang on about this, the better.

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IDFIMH