Daventry taxi drivers strike over licensing row with West Northants Council which 'could destroy trade'
https://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news ... de-5313630
Taxi drivers in Daventry went on strike this morning in response to new vehicle licensing requirements looming over them, which they say could destroy the trade.
The drivers gathered outside the town’s Taxi Licensing Office, at the Abbey Centre, at 10am on Thursday, September 11. Their main issue with West Northamptonshire Council’s (WNC) licensing policy is a requirement that states that all taxis operating in Daventry must be Wheelchair Accessible Vehicles (WAVs) from the start of next year.
They have claimed that the council has offered them no consideration and that the decision has caused significant distress among drivers, posing serious financial and personal challenges due to the increased cost of purchasing these cars.
According to West Northants Council, it undertook pre-engagement with the taxi trade in 2022 and put the draft policy out to a 12-week consultation at the start of 2023, before its approval in October that year.
Sopiya Thanikasalam, who represents the Daventry Taxi Drivers’ Union, said: “What about the drivers who’ve been working 20, 30 years here? How are we supposed to afford to buy a wheelchair accessible vehicle?
“We’d be forced to find another job. We’re there every day, we’re working for ourselves and our family, and we’re working for the public.
“[The council] will see it today, there won’t be taxis in town and maybe they will see how it will affect everyone.”
According to WNC’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Policy, all hackney carriage cabs across the region must be wheelchair accessible vehicles from January 1, 2026. There will be no grandfather rights for drivers, which would allow an exemption for those who already have a licensed car from having to purchase a WAV until their next replacement.
At present, the council will license both WAVs and non-wheelchair accessible vehicles and specific requirements for each of the former districts are in place until December 31, 2025.
Sopiya said that the transition must be introduced in a way that is “realistic, fair, and supportive of those whose livelihoods are directly affected” and that drivers hope their demonstration will prompt the council to re-engage with them.
She said: “People are waiting to know what’s going to happen with their life.
“Our problem is, what’s the research showing the number of people who need wheelchair accessible vehicles in the county to need to change every single taxi?
“We want an answer, we want to know what made them make this decision.”
The drivers said that their strike ended around 11.30 this morning, after they were told that a meeting would be held between the Union and WNC in October.
West Northamptonshire Council has been contacted for comment.
At the time WNC approved the taxi and private hire policy, it said the new harmonised scheme would build on the best practice identified from each of the old sovereign councils and set out clear standards. It added that it wanted all those using taxis in West Northants to have a “safe, reliable and pleasant experience”.
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