Taxi Driver Online

Cost of a taxi licence set to rise



NORTHAMPTON Borough Council is set to make a decision whether to put up fees for taxi firms and street traders.

The council’s licensing committee will meet on Monday, February 11, to vote yes or no to a rise.

The increases are intended to bring street trading fees into line with other similar sized towns and help the council cover the increasing costs of administering the licensing service.

Street trading fees have not been reviewed since 2003 and taxi fees were last looked at in 2008.

The proposals were first presented to the licensing committee in December last year and it was agreed that the council should advertise and consult with those who are likely to be affected by the increases.

The results of the 28-day consultations will be reported back to the licensing committee on Monday when the committee will be asked to approve a rise in charges to cover council costs and ultimately reduce the burden on taxpayers.

If approved, the rises would see the annual cost of renewing a taxi licence rise from £45.50 to £50.

For street traders operating in the town’s parks and industrial estates, such as burger vans and ice cream vans, the cost will also increase with higher rates for premium areas around the parks.

The increased rates being proposed for street traders have been benchmarked against towns and cities of a similar size to Northampton.

Fees in Northampton are about half of what they are in other similar sized towns and the proposed change to bring them into line would see them rise by 100 per cent.

If approved, the cost for a street trader in a standard location, such as an industrial park, will rise to £200 a year for one trading day a week making the cost of one day’s trading £3.85 and £1,400 for seven days making the cost of one day’s trading £3.84.

The cost of a premium park location, such as Abington Park, will rise to £300 a year for one trading day a week making the cost of one day’s trading £5.77 and £2,100 for seven days trading making the cost of one day’s trading £5.75.

The committee will also be asked to agree a new pricing structure for introducing street traders in the town centre on prime locations such as Abington Street and The Drapery.

At the moment there are no approved street trading pitches in the town centre, but the proposals could see licensed traders being allowed to sell goods at specific locations on an ad-hoc basis to coincide with seasonal events.

It is hoped the move will make it easier for the council to deal with unlicensed traders who pop up on high streets.

Councillor Christopher Malpas, chair of Northampton Borough Council’s licensing committee, said: “The licensing service is needed to ensure that traders and taxi drivers operate safely and in accordance with statutory rules and regulations.

“The service is non-profit making and so we have to recover our costs one way or another.

“Most of the people who took part in the consultation accepted that our fees were a lot less than other towns and so weren’t entirely surprised by what is being proposed. Nonetheless we appreciate that if amended, the changes will make a difference to them.

“If committee approves the increases we will do all we can to work with traders to look at how we can support them. Paying in instalments is one option we could consider.”

If licensing committee approves the proposals the new fees will come into force on 1 April this year.

source: http://www.northampton-news-hp.co.uk/Ne ... 120000.htm

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Does anyone working for any council actually know exactly what the laws are in relation to taxi driver's licenses?

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