Taxi Driver Online

PRESS RELEASE
Tuesday, 06 December 2011
For immediate publication.
BLACKBURN CABBIES WIN RIGHT TO PLY
Blackburn Magistrates’ Court overturned a decision of Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council’s Licensing Committee on Monday 5th December 2011 which had prevented three taxi owners from plying their trade. The Council was also ordered to pay their costs.
Charles Oakes of the Hackney Drivers Association Ltd, Mohammed Akbar and Shahzad Akram applied for licences to operate Hackney Carriages (black cabs) in 2009, however the Council delayed consideration of their applications until early this year, which time the Council had sought to freeze the issue of new licences. In July the Council conceded that the applications had been received before the freeze on the new licences had been approved by the Council and decided to grant three licences but on very different terms from those that apply to the existing 64 licenced black cabs within the Borough. The conditions that apply to existing black cab owners were that the vehicles must be no more than 10 years old when first licenced as a taxi within the Borough and cannot be relicensed after they reach 15 years of age. The appellants were required to licence vehicles that were no more than 3 years old and could only retain them for use as a taxi until they were 10 years old.
During the course of the hearing before the magistrates’ court the Council sought to argue that the new conditions were necessary to promote safety, comfort and the reliability and appearance of the Hackney fleet within the Borough. The Council maintained that its system of testing the existing Hackney vehicles, which done randomly at the road side and through two rigorous workshop protests each year is sufficient to safeguard those who travel in the existing fleet but they could not explain why different conditions needed to be applied to the new licensed operators.
The magistrates court allowed the appeal and imposed identical conditions on the licences of the new operators as those that apply to the existing fleet.
Charles Oakes, chairman of the Hackney carriage Association said “The Association has been asking the Council for many months to look at this policy and top have a single tier licensing system. The Council didn’t listen and left us with no option to take the case to court. I hope the Council will look at its policies carefully”.
James Parry, a solicitor advocate and partner and licensing law specialist at Parry Welch Lacey said “The magistrates’ court approached this matter on the grounds of reasonableness and necessity and concluded that the Council’s conditions were not necessary and did not promote any of the Council’s concerns. It is to be hoped that the Council will look carefully at its policy in the future as we are aware of another pending appeal.”

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

Well done Charlie, I suspect the lads will be most welcoming to you on the ranks.

And I'm pleased you are now in the one-tier gang.

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IDFIMH

thank you but i realy take no pleasure in take action against councils but there comes a time when you have so many times we did everything to get the counil to change and that is why we got costs. but that is not the end of it there is one more case to come its set for this mouth but may go into 2012.

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

I take it your not expecting an invitation to the council Xmas Party?

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IDFIMH

not if we win the next one, which we should.

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

Congratulations..... Don't let the frame go to your head...Trevor

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Justice for the 96. It has only taken 27 years...........repeat the same lies for 27 years and the truth sounds strange to people!

I will try my best Mr T. if we win the next i may have a glass of wine.

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C. Oakes


The Hackney Association Ltd
bbha@btinternet.com

Lets hope it's in time for mulled wine

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

How Festive Toots...up here in Scotland we'd have went for the Maulled Whine instead..

There's nothing like a bit of mulled wine to warm the cockles of your cockles

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

Yes........I once spilled some down my lap and I know exactly the Instant heating affect it has on Cockles and their attaching mussels...ooops Muscles

I'm told you like a nice whine.

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IDFIMH

Hence the bizarre Freudian slip in the press release?

Does it make them taste nice?

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Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Believe me, don't get Mercury X2

Silly council......Kelly vs. Wirral

CC

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