Taxi Driver Online

Taxi protest in Herefordshire at licence fee plan

Taxi drivers in Herefordshire have been staging a protest outside the council headquarters over plans to raise the cost of annual licences.

The price of Hackney carriage and private hire licences could increase from £239 to £285.

Drivers may be asked to pay £52 each for a marshalling scheme in Hereford although recent consultation responses were not in favour of its introduction.

The council is meeting on Friday to decide on the issue.

Officials will discuss whether to reject the plans, amend some of the increases, agree to raise extra funds for the marshalling system or, defer the decision entirely.

The council is considering using marshals to control taxis in the Commercial Road area on Friday and Saturday nights.

About 20 cars have taken part in the protest on Hafod Road in the city.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-he ... r-17866939

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

C.C. Can drivers be FORCED to pay for Marshalls. I understood the power to charge for drink related street security was enshrined in the 2003 Licensing Act, putting the cost on the premises selling the toxins.

yes that seems a bit rough on the drivers as I'm sure some of the vehicles will be paying for a service they don't benefit from

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector

Be interested to see what benefit the PH trade get out of the increases.

On a more general point I think a court would be hard pressed to view taxi marshalls as being a reasonable cost to be met by the license fee payer. Didn't that Guildford Auditor say enforcement of conditions is the only costs that can be met by the fees?

Are having marshals now licensing conditions?

That said I think the gov have realised the way forward and in the new Licensing (Liquor) Act councils will be able to charge drinking premisses sufficient fees to pay for, amongst other things, taxi marshalls.

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IDFIMH

I think there's just been a consultation about the night time economy, and this was covered......so I would say, no they cant, because there charging power in the current acts doesnt allow it......but who knows what we're about to get????

CC

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

Tax payers will no longer subsidise taxi service in Herefordshire



Herefordshire taxpayers will no longer be contributing to the cost of providing a taxi licensing service.

A council meeting on Friday heard that the service cost around £33,000 over and above the fees paid by taxi drivers for their licences last year.

These costs are currently being picked up by local council taxpayers.

At Friday’s meeting, councillors agreed to the principle that taxi drivers should cover the costs of this service through an increase in the annual licence fee for a Hackney Carriage vehicle and a Private Hire vehicle.

The committee agreed that representatives from local taxi associations would meet with council officers to go through the costings to make sure their licence fee matched the cost to the council of providing the service.

The service ensures the safety of taxi drivers and passengers through tight licensing of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.

http://www.herefordtimes.com/news/local ... fordshire/

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

Marshalls should be at full cost to the licensed premises they serve, otherwise it's like the binman paying you for your rubbish, they turn them into louts so it's only fair they cough for control methods, shouldn't be down to the taypayer or the cabby.