Taxi Driver Online

Taxi drivers face 72% increase in cost of licences

Friday, August 27, 2010

Plans for inflation-busting price hikes in the cost of licences for the Island’s taxi drivers and zoos are set to be put under the microscope by licensing chiefs at the IW Council on Tuesday.

If they are given the go-ahead, taxi drivers face an increase of 72.4 per cent for a licence, while the cost of issuing a fresh licence to a zoo operator will rise from £774 to £1,360—a rise of 75.7 per cent.

The cost of renewing a zoo licence will also go up by 5.5 per cent from £900 to £950.

In June this year, members of the committee agreed to defer a decision to increase the fees until each zoo operator on the IW had been consulted.

However, there have been no replies to the consultation letter sent out to zoo operators, according to a report which members of the committee will discuss on Tuesday.

Other planned fee increases due to be discussed by the committee will be controversial new charges affecting hackney carriage and private hire taxi firms.

The cost of granting a driver’s licence is set to soar from £58 to £100.

Other increases include granting a hackney carriage vehicle licence, which is set to rise from £228 to £270, an increase of 15.5 per cent, and the cost of a private hire owner’s licence, which is due to go up from £145 to £180—an increase of 24.1 per cent.

An identical 97 objection letters to the increases were submitted by taxi operators.

They say the increases are excessive and well above inflation.

Source; http://www.iwcp.co.uk/news/news/taxi-dr ... 34445.aspx

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Kind regards,

Brummie Cabbie.

Type a message, post your news,
Disagree with other members' views;
But please, do have some decorum,
When debating on the TDO Forum.

let me guess the government has capped the grant so everyone else has to be fleeced to pay the generous pensions !

As I alluded to elsewhere on here, how can that be legal?

Has plastic gone up so much? Have wages gone up that much?

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IDFIMH

for a minute there I thought it was Ashfield again?

You, yes you, allow the hike in licence fees, no one else. Stand back and do nothing and then take it up the ar*e, it's dead simple.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

you'll not be including these fine fellows in your diatribe then?

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My heart is heavy, but my consience clear,
I voted Yes, without any fear.

Here's me thinking they can only cover the costs involved in the licensing process.

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

I asked Dundee City Council for the following info

1. Can you please advice me how much revenue was raised by hackney carriage and private hire license fees in the last three financial years (2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10)?

2. Can you please advise me if there was any deficit in the hackney carriage and private hire licensing budget, in the last three financial years (2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10)?

3. Can you please advise me if there was any excess in the hackney carriage and private hire licensing budget, in the last three financial years (2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10)?

4. If there was a deficit or excess can you please advise how much for each financial year (2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10)?

5. If there was an excess in the financial years 2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10 can you advise me what this money was used for?

6. Can you please give me an itemized break down on what the money received from taxi and private hire licensing fees was spent on, in the last three financial years (2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10)?

There Answer was
Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - 20100624001


Dear Sir

I refer to your email of 24 June. The answers to your questions are as follows.

1. 2007/8 £173,540
2008/9 £334,875
2009/10 £167,585

2,3,4+6. Please see the attached spreadsheet

5. Any excesses are carried forward to meet future deficits.



Yours faithfully



Roger Mennie
Legal Manager


SPREAD SHEET


DUNDEE CITY COUNCIL


Analysis of Expenditure re Taxi & Private Hire Licences


2007/08 2008/09 2009/10

Admin Costs -
Staff Costs, etc. 78,856 109,221 35,045
Appeals 9,000 10,000 0
Police Costs 98,961 113,000 106,924
City Chambers 2,970 5,000 5,000
------------ ------------ ------------
189,787 237,221 146,969
Police Office Costs 7,000 31,000 11,000
Disclosure Scotland Check 29,000 2,300
Badges 300 7,250 575
------------ ------------ ------------
197,087 304,471 160,844
------------ ------------ ------------



Can they legally keep any excesses to meet future deficits. sorry spread sheet did not post very well

At the end of the day no final account is ever going to match up to a budget, so there will always be a surplus/deficit. That could be a £1 or £10,000.

I can't fathom out the massive increase in year 2008/9.

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IDFIMH

We renew our badges every three years that is why it is so high

I bet the council are quaking in their shoes. Who would have thought, 97 objections? What a terrifying response to being bent over at right angles and shafted.

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All animals are equal but some animals are more equal than others.
George Orwell, "Animal Farm"

That would depend on what % of the total fleet 97 represents.but no I don't think they'll be shaking, just yet. it will depend on what notice (or otherwise) they take of the objections, I would think.

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My heart is heavy, but my consience clear,
I voted Yes, without any fear.

I think you have a fixation with being bent over and shafted cos that appears to be on your mind quite a lot

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Note to self: Just because it pops into my head does NOT mean it should come out of my mouth!!

Does it cost more to renew a drivers badge if it is done for 3 years rather than one year?

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Grandad,

no , Badges are giving out every three years so if you applied now for a badge it would have to be renewed next year when every one has to renew.