Cybro wrote:
Mr Kendrick added he felt it was his responsibility as an employer and not the councils to check on the knowledge and skills of thier drivers.
Yeah right.
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| Safety Pledge Over North Norfolk Taxi Shortage http://www.taxi-driver.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=8002 |
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| Author: | Cybro [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 6:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Safety Pledge Over North Norfolk Taxi Shortage |
20 Feb 2008 Safety pledge over taxi shortage AN assurance that the drive to find more taxi drivers in north Norfolk will not spark a short cut through safety checks was given this week - together with notice that more stringent testing may be introduced. A growing demand for cabs, and cabbies in the rural areas is seeing local firms casting their net wider - raising concerns about the backgrounds of would-be drivers, some of them from abroad. But councillors this week rejected the idea of dishing out temporary licences, until full checks are finalised, because it could undermine passenger safety. The council says it will be calling on the government to speed up the CRB checking process since it can take up to 70 days at present for police to complete criminal record bureau (CRB) checks. The council will also look at possibly introducing a new driving skills test and knowledge assessment. The issue was highlighted at North Norfolk's licensing and appeals committee, which said the local taxi trade was expanding “at a significant rate” to cope with demand for a whole range of services including school runs. Firms were “experiencing considerable pressure in the recruitment of local drivers” leading them to consider “less desirable applicants”. Two Polish people had also applied, throwing up the issue of foreign nationals, and a need to have them vetted through their embassies. One taxi boss said that while he appreciated the need for drivers to be fully CRB checked t the process was currently too slow. He also rejected the idea of introducing checks on the skills and geographical knowledge of drivers saying it was a step to far. Trevor Kendrick, owner of Country Cars in Cromer, said: “People want to work but we have just had a driver who has been held up for three months waiting for a CRB check. “We agree that drivers need to be fully CRB checked but the process needs to be speeded up.” Mr Kendrick added he felt it was his responsibility as an employer and not the councils to check on the knowledge and skills of thier drivers. At Monday's meeting councillors considered proposals to ease recruitment difficulties for firms by allowing temporary licenses to be issued after just a basic CRB check which takes a maximum of three weeks. A full licence would only have been issued after the completion of an enhanced check. But councillors threw out the idea saying it was important for passenger safety that full checks were completed first, however long the process took. Cromer member John Lee expressed discomfort at the idea, saying: “I think it would only take once incident with a driver on a temporary license and the whole thing would come back on the council.” The CRB checks were in place for a reason. Sue Arnold said she felt the council was trying to solve a problem that had been created by government and it should be for the government to look at reducing CRB check waiting times. The taxi decision comes as a scheme to help older drivers stay on the road longer, in an area starved of public transport, also get into gear. Source: North Norfolk News ---------- Disclaimer These press articles are intended for informational purposes only. Statements and opinions expressed in these articles are solely those of the original Publisher. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of any of these articles, and therefore I am not liable for any information contained therein. Where possible, the Publisher and the source are documented within each article. Any author that holds legal copyright, and objects to their material being posted, may request that it be removed and any future material excluded. |
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| Author: | Sussex [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Safety Pledge Over North Norfolk Taxi Shortage |
Cybro wrote: Mr Kendrick added he felt it was his responsibility as an employer and not the councils to check on the knowledge and skills of thier drivers.
Yeah right.
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| Author: | Sussex [ Wed Feb 20, 2008 7:06 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Safety Pledge Over North Norfolk Taxi Shortage |
Cybro wrote: The issue was highlighted at North Norfolk's licensing and appeals committee, which said the local taxi trade was expanding “at a significant rate” to cope with demand for a whole range of services including school runs.
So it looks like the ending of the contract exemption has had an effect. 
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| Author: | allo allo [ Thu Feb 21, 2008 12:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
Councils may only issue badges once they have satisfied themselves that the recipient is a "fit and proper person". This is the law! They cannot issue badges to applicants in the hope that in due course they may prove themselves to be fit and proper.....or not as the case may be. Foreign applicants MUST by law be subject to the same standards as UK nationals. However how many councils actually apply the same standards???? |
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