Taxi Driver Online

08 Feb 2008

Leeds taxi office set for £790,000 expansion

A £790,000 scheme to extend offices for Leeds Council's taxi licensing
department was expected to get the go-ahead today.

The council's executive board was due to approve the scheme at the
existing site near the Torre Road fly-over on York Road just outside Leeds
city centre.

The new facilities will provide more space for office staff to improve the
service, as well as improved visitor, meeting and interview facilities.

Coun Ralph Pryke (Lib Dem, Burmantofts and Richmond Hill) said : "For
quite a long time the facilities have struggled to cope. As the income from
the licences will pay for the work needed there is every reason for Leeds
City Council to go ahead with this work.

"I am sure the Executive Board will approve the scheme at their next
meeting which should allow all the work to be completed by the end of the
year."

Work on the scheme due to start in April with a December completion
date.

Source: Yorkshire Evening Post

this is acouncil that can spend this amount on licenceing office and cannot provide taxi marshells on a weekend to help revellers get home in the black &white hackney taxis and not to be ripped off by the unlimited number of private hire cars who descend on leeds every night of the week, the taxi trade at present is suffering due to the loss of leeds airport to a local private hire firm, a little help from the enforcement officers on nights would be apprecited.

Correct me if I'm wrong, I was under the impression that licence fee where for just that, and not for home improvements,
if they have that amount in the kitty they are overcharging, because they cannot make any profit from a licence

That money might come from elsewhere in the budget.

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IDFIMH

Can't see that amount coming out of the licensing budget. Some of it maybe, but it works out at around £200 a licensed vehicle.

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IDFIMH

To be honest Sussex it looks like another case of why licencing should be taken out of councils hands, and the quicker the better