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Scunthorpe Evening Telegraph
May 10, 2007 Thursday
Authority owns up to licensing 'mistake'
Council chiefs have owned up to a serious breach of the rules after a taxi driver had his application to carry disabled passengers turned down.
The local authority is undertaking a review of its taxi licensing policy as fellow cabbies demand action.
Father-of-eight Hassan Awaleh 68, of Crosby House, Scunthorpe, said he paid £10,000 for a seven-seater car earlier this year with the intention of applying for a licence to transport disabled passengers. In March, the vehicle was tested and inspected by experts who found it did not meet the legal requirements for allowing access for disabled passengers.
Somali-born Mr Awaleh, a taxi driver for 19 years, who has lived in the UK since 1960, said he complained after learning another cabbie had later gained a licence for the same type of vehicle as his own. The case has also been taken up by Scunthorpe MP Elliot Morley, who has accused the local authority of making 'a startling and glaring mistake'.
And in a letter to Mr Morley, the council has confirmed the other vehicle, which had not been adapted to carry a wheelchair, had been licensed. Local licensing manager Nick Bramhill told the MP the mistake made was 'regrettable' and the officer concerned had been 'taken to task'. Mr Bramhill continued: "Unfortunately, in such circumstances the council cannot remove this licence.
"Nor can we issue any further vehicle licences which would be in breach of the conditions. "The council is not in a position to issue Mr Awaleh a licence on the basis of equality of treatment. I will ensure such mistakes are eradicated in the future."
Mr Bramhill has promised a review of the present licence condition of passengers being able to gain access to seven-seater vehicles without the need to climb over folded seats. Mr Morley said: "This is a glaring mistake by the council and affects everyone in the region who has a taxi plate and meets the rules. "The council really needs to get a grip on applying its own standards. Mr Awaleh is entitled to be aggrieved.
"He was turned down on the council's criteria but amazingly another driver who had the same vehicle standard was approved." Devlyn Pugh, secretary of the 180-strong North Lincolnshire Taxi and Private Hire Association, said: "We have asked our national association to look into this breach of the rules."
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