Taxi Driver Online

Scandal of Knowsley council overcharging taxi firms for licences by £160,000

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/scandal-knowsley-council-overcharging-taxi-7200620

A COUNCIL overcharged taxi firms by £160,000 over three years for their licences.

An investigation by accountancy firm PwC has discovered that cab operators in Knowsley were asked to pay £163,000 more than they should have.

The council says it is now lowering licence fees for taxi companies in a bid to make up for this and re-balance the books.

But bosses at Acorn Cars, who claim they were forced to move their business over the border to Liverpool because their relationship with Knowsley council became so bad, say the money should be returned.

Liam Sweeney, operations manager at Acorn Cars, said: “The council claims it is reducing future taxi fees, as opposed to refunding money to taxi operators.

“It is my view the only reason for the council to reduce future fees is to prevent Acorn Cars obtaining refunds because we moved our operation to Liverpool.

“So not only have we not received any refunds but the money we paid to the council is now being used to subsidise our competitors.”

A report by PwC found that the council had failed to consistently separate its calculations of figures for driver license fees and vehicle and operator licence fees, a practice it said was “unlawful”.

Legally, councils are allowed to charge taxi firms the amount it costs to issue licences but are not supposed to make a surplus.

A spokeswoman for Knowsley council said: “The surplus is being reduced year on year through reduced licensing fees. Robust monitoring arrangements and policies are in place to manage this process.”

The PwC report says that auditors have decided not to seek a judgement in court over the matter, saying they believe it would be of “little or no benefit” because the council has acknowledged “its financial records in this area were not robust in 2011/12”.

It adds: “The overall sums involved are not sufficiently great to warrant the costs of an application to the High Court.

“The potential legal costs involved of such action are likely to be very high and would fall directly upon local taxpayers.”

The overcharging of fees by Knowsley council emerged as part of a long-running series of disputes between Acorn Cars and the authority.

Liam Sweeney won an appeal at Liverpool magistrates’ court on Thursday against the revocation of his private hire driver’s licence by Knowsley council.

During the hearing it emerged that the council had admitted that a secret recording of a taxi firm boss’s conversation was made by an officer without permission from council chiefs.

Following a formal complaint, the authority has now agreed to refer the matter to the Office of the Surveillance Commissioner and the government’s Information Commissioner.

Last month Billy Sweeney, a partner in the firm, was found guilty of using private hire vehicles without a proper licence. He now says he is seeking legal advice in a bid to clear his name.

Liam Sweeney has now called for an independent inquiry into Knowsley council and what he claims has been a “vendetta” by the authority against Acorn Cars.

He said: “What has happened to me, and the way our business, has been treated by Knowsley, needs an independent inquiry.”

They should refund the people they overcharged.

Why should someone new to the trade benefit when those that got mugged lose out?

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IDFIMH

I think that this report will be sent to our lot first thing in the morning.

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Grandad,

They have overcharged by £1000 per week for three years and it is of another fine example of corrupt U.K

Cardiff overcharged its drivers by £1.1 mil and they are paying it back - however they have not been transparent as to how they arrived at the figures (you can bet that it is not the true or accurate figure) and low and behold.....they did not include (a fact) any interest in the figures. A claim from yours truly has been sent as of yesterday to the council solicitors, and will be landing on their doorstep today - a further £30/35K overall of (interest accumulated) based on their figures are at stake, that is not including what should be the transparency ( as to how they arrived at the £1.1 mil) figures.

I would say make an individual small claims court claim for the portion owed to the said business - if you win (it is your money) then the rest is just a matter of course.

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if you cannot be yourself, then who can you be.

If one of the taxi driver in the borough was court overcharging they would have there badge taken away.
double standards.

Call for a probe into Knowsley licensing.

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/liverpool-taxi-firms-joins-forces-7207900





The owners of eight private hire and taxi firms operating over 1,100 licensed vehicles between them today joined forces to call for an independent investigation into Knowsley council’s taxi licensing department.

They have urged Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles to intervene by ordering an investigation.

It follows a court case in Liverpool when magistrates overturned a decision by the council to revoke a taxi driver’s licence held by Liam Sweeney of Acorn Cars.

Making their decision the magistrates were publicly critical of three of Knowsley Council’s officers, one of whom had embarked on covert surveillance by making a tape recording without authority of a conversation.

That aspect of the case is now being investigated by HM Government’s official Surveillance Commissioner.

It has now transpired in a report by PricewaterhouseCoopers that the council overcharged vehicle proprietors and private hire operators by £163,000 over a three year period.

The call for an investigation has been made by Acorn Cars, Alpha Cars, Britannia Cars, All Black Cabs, KTS, J.M. Travel, Jay Donergan and Keven Doyle.

Three of the operators, Acorn, J.M Travel and Alpha, say the relationship between their businesses and Knowsley Council forced them to switch their bases to neighbouring Liverpool where they enjoy good relationships with city licensing officers.

The operators making the call for a probe jointly say the experience of Acorn Cars exposes what they all consider to be a problematic relationship with taxi licensing officers at Knowsley.

Liam Sweeney said: “What happened to me is not untypical in Knowsley."The Chairman of Knowsley Licensing Committee sitting in private with a senior council officer present, decreed I was ‘not a fit and proper person’ to hold a licence."

"I was also given a 12-month ban from entering any council building in the borough, including their libraries and sport centres.

"I was also banned from driving any private hire vehicle licensed by Knowsley."

When the magistrates in Liverpool heard the evidence the chairman publicly and in open court described me as a man of good character and a ‘fit and proper person’.

"There is something dramatically wrong when in Knowsley I am treated like a villain and over the border in Liverpool I am liked and respected.

“My belief is this shows a vindictiveness within Knowsley. But moreover what has happened to me has opened a Pandora’s Box and other taxi operators now want the chance to have their say on the way they are treated by Knowsley Council.

“We have directed the call for the investigation to Eric Pickles MP as we are not convinced Knowsley Council will take this matter seriously."

Mr Pickles constantly says he is in favour of openness and fairness in local government as well as being supportive of local businesses and communities."

Apart from that we do not know if any officers or councillors are implicated in the harsh treatment we have all experienced. That will be for an independent investigation to determine once all the facts have been heard.”

In simple terms the council are acting like ****s.

If MacDonalds overcharged 1000s of people for Big Macs, they wouldn't say 'ok then we won't refund those that lost out, instead we we sell Big Macs cheaper for the next few years'.

The council show pay up now, and move then on.

_________________
IDFIMH

What a disgrace -the council admitted that 'their accounting was not as robust as it should have been' , If that would have been anyone else in a public office then allegations of fraud and police investigations would have followed.

What this article does not mention is that this particular council refunded its Street Traders and Ice Cream Vendors to the tune of £96,000 and gave a fee free period to them and also reduced their ongoing fees following this objection. Whats the difference between these two types of Licence Fee payers?

Does anyone know the answer?

this is the same council involved in this mess :

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... on-7191735

Official probe into covert surveillance operation

by captain cab » Fri May 30, 2014 8:10 am

Official probe into covert surveillance operation carried out by a Knowsley council officer

Council has admitted a secret recording of minicab firm boss’s conversation was made by officer without permission from council chiefs

An official investigation has been launched into an unauthorised covert surveillance operation carried out by a Knowsley council officer.

The council has admitted a secret recording of a minicab firm boss’s conversation was made by the officer without permission from council chiefs.

Following a formal complaint the authority has now agreed to refer the matter to the Office of the Surveillance Commissioner and the Government’s Information Commissioner.

Yesterday Acorn Cars’ operations manager, Liam Sweeney, appeared at Liverpool Magistrates Court where he won an appeal against the revocation of his private hire driver’s licence by Knowsley council.

As part of preparation for the court case consultants a2z Licensing, acting on behalf of Acorn, were told by the council that a conversation between a council officer and Mr Sweeney had been secretly recorded.

Knowsley’s monitoring officer Mike Harden said in a letter: “This recording was not authorised in advance by the council and was not made with the permission or knowledge of the officer’s line manager or indeed any other council officer. The decision to make the recording was taken by the officer in isolation.”

The voice recording, which was played in court yesterday, was made by a council officer when he visited the offices of Acorn Cars in Park Brow Drive, Kirkby on September 18 last year and asked Mr Sweeney if he could check some records.

Mr Harden said in his letter to a2z: “The decision to make the recording was clearly an error of judgement by the officer in question and his conduct in the matter will be investigated.”

Knowsley council had revoked the licence Liam Sweeney had held since 1996, claiming he made threats to a council officer.

At yesterday’s hearing, magistrate Alan Hughes said the bench accepted Liam Sweeney was of good character and a fit and proper person but cautioned him on his future behaviour.

Mr Hughes found Knowsley’s principal licensing officer John Thompson’s attitude “over asserting” and said the unauthorised recording by another council officer, David Gard (who was not called to give evidence) showed a level of pre-formed opinion.

He also said the council’s third witness, Daniel Mannion, was “not all together convincing.”

The court made no order for costs against the council.

Last month Billy Sweeney, a partner in the firm, was found guilty of using private hire vehicles without a proper licence.

A spokeswoman for Knowsley council said an investigation into the audio recording was ongoing and as such it felt it inappropriate to comment.

source: http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liv ... on-7191735