Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers angry at licence fee increases


MORE than 100 furious taxi drivers piled into Worcester’s Guildhall to protest at licence fee increases they say will force up fares and push scores of cabbies out of business.

From next month, Worcester taxi drivers already being squeezed by the credit crunch and persistently high petrol prices will see the cost of their annual licence from the council rise by at least 35 per cent.

Drivers warn many will be forced out of business and that ultimately the cost will be passed on to the Worcester public via higher fares.

But the huge fee rises were confirmed by Worcester City Council’s licensing committee on Tuesday despite the presence of at least 100 protesting drivers.

Kershid Baig, of the Worcester Taxi Drivers Association, told the committee: “This increase will directly lead to people being made unemployed. The trade is already affected by the credit crunch with takings down 40 per cent and worse to come. This will lead to people going on the dole.

He said: “These increases will have to be passed on to the public – the public will have to pay more.”

The council is increasing the annual renewal fee for city taxi drivers by 35 per cent, from £252 to £340.

New drivers’ applications fees will rise by nearly 20 per cent, from £336 to £399, while private hire firms with more than one car will be hit hardest of all, paying an extra £50 per vehicle on top of the existing fee of about £250.

Taxi driver Pat Borthwick said: “Other authorities do not charge nearly so much.

“We need more support from our local council.”

But councillors said they were standing by their policy of raising all licence fees so that they cover the councils’ own costs in issuing the licences.

The new policy has led to other big fee increases this year, most notably for small business such as pet shops and beauty parlours.

The council’s head of environmental health Martin Gillies said: “Our income from taxi licences is just over £100,000 a year. The cost of providing the service to the council is roughly £141,000, so we’re actually suffering an annual loss.

“We’re not allowed to make a profit on licences but we are encouraged to cover our costs.”

Cabinet member for finance Councillor Roger Knight said: “We put forward a policy that we should cover the costs of licensing to the council and I don’t think we should step away from that.”

The new licence fees will come into force on Wednesday, April 1. Any request from drivers to raise taxi fares will have to be approved by the licensing committee at a future meeting.

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

Are any of these councils mentioned on TDO some of the ones who have lifted restrictions.
If they are I think they have increased the prices to artificially keep numbers down as they can not go back to restricting once its been abolished, without facing a court case should an owner challenge it

I wonder if they have made a complaint to the council ombudsman, he would look at the proposals and possibly inform the council they cannot do it

I did regarding our council tax and got everyone in our row a rebate of nearly 2K

I think that's b*llocks

CC

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

Explain why, its feasible to me

A council can go back to restricting numbers at any point it wishes.

The fee's in the case of this particular article have been too low for a considerable amount of time,;



The reports are on the link below;

http://committee.cityofworcester.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.asp?CId=197&MId=2220&Ver=4&J=2

http://committee.cityofworcester.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.asp?CId=197&MId=2221&Ver=4&J=2

Perhaps someone should be asking why the licensing department has been allowed to run at a loss?

It was on the agenda for a meeting on 24th March;

http://committee.cityofworcester.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.asp?CId=197&MId=2174&Ver=4&J=2

CC

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

CC is right, a council can limit any time they want, but the onus is on them to prove there is no demand, should the policy be challenged.

They can also delimit any time they want, with or without proof of demand.

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