Not the first time this area has been featured, and there's quite a lot going on here. But wasn't this the place where you could get a WAV exemption because you had an ingrown toenail or couldn't bench press 150kg, so most of the WAVs disappeared
And now, of course, it's all vested interests trying to protect themselves, so nothing much will change in that regard
So it's maybe a case of locking the stable door after the horses bolted some years ago...
And now asking the turkeys whether they want to vote for Christmas, and then complying with their request...
But that tends to be the way many local authorities work, innit?
Taxi licensing changes to see tariffs rise slightly along with bigger fees for being sick
https://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/news ... s-10626640
They also include addressing a decline in wheelchair accessible vehicles in North East Lincolnshire
Councillors have agreed key policies on local taxi licensing in North East Lincolnshire, including an increase in tariff rates. Other changes look to stop recent declines in the number of wheelchair accessible hackney carriage taxis, and to better recompense drivers when passengers vomit.
North East Lincolnshire Council's licensing and community protection committee this week completed a year-long process to decide on possible hackney carriage changes. Last year, the committee deferred potentially ditching a limit of 220 on the number of licensed taxis, until there was a new unmet demand survey.
This showed there was no unmet demand and, in September, they recommended keeping the 220 limit. However, a final decision was delayed until consultation with the taxi trade.
More than 200 emails were sent out for this, and 68 responses received. Almost all who participated backed keeping the 220 limit, with 66 in favour.
There was similarly overwhelming approval for new hackney carriages to be any vehicle fuel source type still, and not restricted to electric and hybrid only. The third policy recommendation involved wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAV).
A previous medical exemption allowed drivers to convert from WAV to saloon type vehicles. This resulted in the proportion of local WAV taxis dwindling to 16 per cent of all hackney carriages.
Councillors recommended that new hackney carriage applicants have WAV vehicles, and all current WAVs remain as such. This was more contentious among the trade, with 37 overall supportive.
One respondent proposed the vehicle age limit for getting a first licence for a WAV is increased from five years to eight. "At present, the stricter five-year rule unintentionally limits the number of accessible vehicles on our roads," they wrote.
NEL Hackney Carriage Association representatives also mentioned the increased costs of repairing vehicles. Councillors backed raising the age limit for new hackney carriage WAVs to eight years, the other change to boost WAV numbers, and continuing to allow all vehicle fuel source types.
Small tariffs increase and soil charge doubling
The licensing committee also agreed to changes to the tariffs the taxis charge, along with fees when passengers are sick. The carriage association representatives requested to double the soil charge to £100, and raise all tariffs by 50p for the first mile of any trip.
Wayne Crouch, from the association, explained on the soil charge request: "The reason being if you get somebody sick in your car or out of it, times before you could get a valet for £40 or £50. Now, for a proper valet it costs £80 or £90."
"How difficult is it to get the money off the people?" asked Cllr Karen Swinburn (Conservative - Immingham Ward). The association representatives said some were apologetic and paid up, others less so. "To be quite honest with you, it's more of a deterrent," said Mr Crouch of the charge.
On the tariffs increase, the traders stated it would be the first increase since February 2022. "I think it's quite reasonable," said Cllr Sheldon Mill (Labour - South), noting the near four year gap since the last increase.
"You've mentioned car insurance, I don't think that's stood still," he observed drily. The tariffs and soil charge changes were agreed unanimously.
