St Albans drivers given green light to break the law
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AN OFFICIAL at St Albans District Council has encouraged taxi drivers to break the laws he is supposed to enforce, putting the public at risk by contravening insurance rules, according to the leader of one of Britain's biggest trade unions, who has called for resignations.
Paul Kenny, general secretary of the GMB, the fourth biggest union in the country, said: "The GMB is stunned at the behaviour of the licensing official of St Albans Council whose job it is to ensure that the public is protected against cowboys who are prepared to ignore the laws that exist to protect people.
"That the same official is prepared to conspire to break those very laws is beyond belief.
"Heads should role and St Albans councillors should make sure any of their colleagues found to be complicit in this matter resign too."
His attack has been joined by the Lib Dem -controlled authority's opposition leaders, who agree that a tape recording made during a taxi strike on October 3 clearly shows the official advising a private hire driver to pick up passengers without a prior booking.
This would be in clear contravention of rules which allow Hackney cab drivers only, not private hire drivers, to pick up without bookings, and according to the union would invalidate insurance policies.
The union says that during the strike, sparked by a dispute over stricter licence rules the council wants to introduce, Hackney cab drivers learned that officials, determined to minimise its impact, were advising their private hire competitors to ignore the rule book.
Adopting the pseudonym “Irfan”, a driver called a licensing officer's mobile phone and recorded the conversation. On the tape, the official, who clearly believes he is talking to a private- hire driver, is asked: “Is it possible I can go and pick up from the rank, OK?”
He replies: “The only person that would take any action against you would be me. Yeah?
“And I am giving you permission to do it , so it is fine.”
The GMB has made an official complaint through the Local Government Ombudsman, but according to the head of licensing Andrew Robertson, the official was simply advising “Irfan” he could pick up from a taxi rank if he had previously arranged to meet a passenger there.
But on the GMB's transcript, which the council agrees is accurate, there is no mention of pre-booking as Irfan is told: “If any private hirers use the rank then it is fine.”
Mr Robertson and Councillor Chris Brazier, the cabinet member responsible, have refused to acknowledge the tape is evidence of anything improper – a line maintained in the authority's response to the official complaint.
Tory group leader Julian Daley told the Review: "The council should not be encouraging private hire drivers to break the terms of their licence and the law.
"It sounds like that is exactly what they are doing.
"And it is wrong for senior officers and politicians to try and sweep this under the carpet, as they appear to be doing."
Labour leader Roma Mills said: "The tape does appear to be saying that anybody can pick up from a taxi rank.
"The GMB say that is a criminal matter to pick up somebody and drive uninsured.
"If so, it is a very serious matter.
"The council's explanation doesn't seem very likely at all."
Councillor Chris Brazier, the responsible cabinet member, said: "I don't think the official was doing anything wrong.
"For that night only , for the safety of the public, the decision was made to allow private-hire drivers to pick up from the ranks if a passenger had pre-booked.,p> Terance Flanagan, secretary of the local GMB branch, said: "The council's actions have been deplorable."
The union will ask the Ombudsman for a full investigation, and Councillor Daley will confront Councillor Brazier over the tape in next week's full council meeting.
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