Taxi Driver Online

After years of yearly CRB checks and being ripped off by Ashfield Council they've finally decided to issue us with 3 year badges but it's at a cost. Here's the letter.

So it costs more to administer a 3 year badge than a 1 year badge.

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Grandad,

It should not cost any more than a 1 year badge they are at it
Get them sorted out

Does any council charge the same for a 3 year badge as a 1 year badge?

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Grandad,

same here, a 3 year badge averages out at £75/year

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

Someones got their maths wrong (could be me) but if ;

A 1 year badge costs £118.10 so paying each year would be £236.20 for two years and £354.30 for three.
But a two year badge costs £173.36 and a three year one £227.60.
So the saving on a 2 year badge is (£236.20-£173.36) £62.84 not the £65.92 quoted.
And on a 3 year badge it is (£354.30-£227.60) £126.70 not £135.76.

Maybe I've not taken into account VAT or I'm just useless at maths

Then again if you take the 2 year option you will be saving 9p a day, or 12p a day for the three year badge !!

The charges for the two-year and three-year licenses are unlawful.

FFS do councils ever get fees correct?

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IDFIMH

its even more complicated here cos renewals upto 15 days PRIOR to expiry are cheaper than after

and we can have 1 year or 3 year badges

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Of all the things ive lost, i miss my mind the most

The problem is that the drivers see this as getting a discount and if they challenge the fact that the charges are wrong, the council will just go back to 1 year badges and the discount will be lost.

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Grandad,

I dislike 3 year badges with a passion, they are a charter for vagabonds

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Not that I know of, they all charge a little bit more but not the price Ashfield Council are charging.


Below are Mansfield Councils prices for a 2 year badge.

Mansfield District Council Creating a District where People can Succeed Public Health Act 1875, Town Police Clauses Act 1847 & 1889 Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 APPLICATION FOR GRANT OR RENEWALLICENCE HACKNEY CARRIAGE/PRIVATE HIRE VEHICLE DRIVERS LICENCE NOTE: DRIVERS APPLICATIONS ARE DEALT WITH BETWEEN THE HOURS OF 9.00 A.M. -NOON AND 2.00 P.M. -4.30 P.M. ONLY (offices closed during Statutory Holidays).
FOR OFFICE USE ONLY:
Drivers Licence seen and Checked: Yes No
RECEIPT NO. DATE:
C.R.B £44.00 (3 yearly) expiry date:-
C.R.B.RECEIPT NO. DATE:
New: FEE: £65.00 (Plus £10.00 for a knowledge test) Renewal: £75.00 – Renewal (1 Year) £126.00 – Renewal (2 Years) £150.00 – Renewal (3 Years)

Doesn't make them legal though.

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IDFIMH

Of course not, but drivers will accept anything. Our lot are looking at doing 3 year badges at the moment. You can imagine how popular I will be if I object.

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Grandad,

Get in touch with the council ombudsman, pointing out that by law the council can only charge one price and that is the price of one year one, regardless of if it runs for 3 years
Do you renew the crb every year or every 3???

The licence fee doesn't just cover the admin cost, i.e. the cost of processing your application, it covers the cost of enforcement too.

The fees seem pretty reasonable to me. Cannock charge nearly £120 for a one-year badge but they do seem to have a tendency to take action on the basis of opportunity not necessity and that is bound to be costly.

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Steve.