Taxi Driver Online

A driver can leave the trade if they wish and take up employment in another field if they are not earning enough. many thousands have found this out in the last 18 months. I think you are being very unfair placing a driver in the same category as a person suffering domestic violence. As for if it is sh** everywhere, most jobs outside our trade pay at least the minimum wage. There are more jobs available now that for years.

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Grandad,

Firm at centre of Sandwell school transport row has Birmingham deal terminated over DBS concerns

https://www.expressandstar.com/news/edu ... erminated/

A company which was set to be controversially handed a school transport contract by Sandwell Council has had its deal with a neighbouring authority terminated due to concerns over DBS checks.

Birmingham City Council said it was cancelling its agreement with North Birmingham Travel following "suspected misrepresentation in relation to DBS checks".

The company has provided school transport for children with special educational needs (SEND) across the city.

It was set to be handed a contract to do the same in Sandwell before serious questions were raised about how North Birmingham Travel was chosen by council officials.

The firm is run by former Sandwell Council employee Azeem Hafeez. He is also the son of former deputy leader Mahboob Hussain, and both were named in a explosive 2016 report on council land deals. He denied any wrongdoing.

North Birmingham Travel had been lined up for a contract worth more than £20 million over four years before council leader Rajbir Singh stepped in to defer the decision in June amid intense scrutiny of the procurement process.

Sandwell Council has said an early review of the process had found “no initial evidence of financial wrongdoing, impropriety or non-compliance with the procurement and contract procedure rules”. The matter will also be looked at by scrutiny bosses.

The authority has been forced to extend its contract with its existing provider as the investigation continues.

DBS checks, short for Disclosure and Barring Service, delve into a prospective employee's background to ensure it is appropriate for them to work with children.

A Birmingham City Council spokesman said: "We regularly monitor our providers, and information about suspected misrepresentation in relation to DBS checks came to light as part of this process earlier this month; an on-site audit by our compliance officers also raised concerns about DBS disclosures.

"Given the significant concerns the city council implemented an emergency decision by the chief executive to remove the contract from North Birmingham Transport.

"So while it is disappointing that we were put in this position by a provider, the swift action taken shows that our monitoring system is working."

Councillor Sharon Thompson, cabinet member for vulnerable children and families at Birmingham City Council, said: "We have advised North Birmingham Travel, which we commission to provide some of our home to school transport routes, that we are terminating their contract owing to a breach of contract on their part.

"While we have seen recent improvement to the SEND home to school transport service we know there is more work to do, and where we identify problems we will deal with them robustly."

Following Birmingham's decision, Sandwell opposition councillor Jay Anandou said local people deserved answers.

The Conservative group deputy leader added: "This is very alarming. It's quite serious. Sandwell Council's process is so weak.

"Ultimately, the people it is affecting are some of the most vulnerable people in Sandwell. I think this is shocking, to be honest.

"If they have failed DBS checks they shouldn't be allowed to participate in the bidding process in February."

The revelations by the Express & Star led to accusations that Sandwell Council officials were “looking after their mates”.

West Bromwich East MP Nicola Richards raised the matter in Parliament, which was subsequently commented on by Leader of the House of Commons Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Quite a long and detailed article, but not sure if it adequately describes the difference between bus and taxi licensing, and how precisely it all links to the DBS checks. Not that I know much about it all, but that's why I think it could be slightly better explained


Sandwell DBS taxi checks 'a joke' says councillor in transport row

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black- ... a-21392333

Councillor Jay Anandou, deputy leader of the opposition, said it is "absolutely reckless to put children at risk"

A councillor has slammed DBS checks verified by Sandwell council as a "joke" as the row into SEND transport for vulnerable children deepens.

At the Children's Services and Education Scrutiny Board, held on Monday, Cllr William Gill (Cons, Great Bridge), asked how Sandwell council's DBS checking system differed from Birmingham City Council's own procedures.

In response, Lesley Hagger, executive director of children’s services, stated Sandwell council does not "deviate from the national process" of DBS checks.

"It's the same set of checks and balances that take place for the DBS checks. We [Sandwell council] carry out our own DBS checks ourselves. In some places they may be required to provide a DBS check."

It comes as a report published by Birmingham City Council noted 59 out of 110 employees at North Birmingham Travel, which has in the past transported vulnerable children in the region, did not appear to have a documented DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check in place.

Out of these 59 employees, 16 had 'positive disclosures' - meaning they included criminal disclosures, which are not an automatic bar but are subject to further scrutiny - but "officers could only assure themselves about two".

North Birmingham Travel, whose sole director is Azeem Hafeez, is separately under scrutiny after his company was selected to run SEND transport services for Sandwell council, along with another company run by Mr Hafeez, in a £22.1m deal.

Mr Hafeez is a former Sandwell council employee and the son of former Sandwell council deputy leader Mahboob Hussain. Both were named in the Wragge Report of 2016 on land deals at the authority.

The contract into Mr Hafeez and Sandwell's transport procurement deal is on hold pending an internal review into the contract.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Gill said: "The fact that Birmingham City Council have terminated a contract with North Birmingham Travel due to the DBS check concerns yet Sandwell council plan on maintaining this company as a provider is deeply concerning for me as a councillor and to many residents across the borough.

"Sandwell council, if they maintain a different process of checks, will put vulnerable children at risk which is why I will push for the leader, the interim CEO and the new director of children’s services to reconsider their process of DBS checking to bring it in line with the national standard, as every child in Sandwell deserves to be as safe as every other child in the country when going to school.

"The children in Sandwell deserve to be treated like the priority that I know they are, and the change in senior leadership gives the authority and the Labour councillors a chance to change their mindset and put our children at the heart of any decisions they make in the coming months."

He added: "I and my fellow Conservatives will continue to fight to make sure these children and their families are safeguarded when school starts once again and will do everything in our power to represent them in the council chamber."

Cllr Jay Anandou, deputy leader of the opposition, and a member of the audit and risk assurance committee said: "The assertion that DBS process in Sandwell is robust, is a joke.

"The DBS process and checks in Sandwell lacks checks and controls. It is absolutely reckless to put children at risk and defend the process with so many gaps."

Cllr Anandou cited reasons for concern, including the lack of an "independent panel" at Sandwell council, to verify the suitability of taxi drivers to transport young children.

Cllr Anandou added: "The reasons for North Birmingham Travel's early contract termination was due to 'material misrepresentations' and 'tampering' of DBS certificates, which is a serious safeguarding and reputational risk – is Sandwell council going to completely ignore this?

"Why isn’t the council checking new convictions via the DBS update service, more frequently than the current once every 365 days?

"These questions were put to council last week and have not been answered yet."

One Labour councillor, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "There is no scandal in Sandwell.

"All drivers are fully DBS checked and monitored. As far as the contract is concerned, Sandwell followed all of its procurement procedures correctly.

"The issues that have been raised are mischief making.

"However the Birmingham taxi driver DBS checks may be a different matter. But it is for me to comment as I don't know the details."

A spokesperson from Sandwell council said: "Sandwell’s verification process is through the TAS Badge system and checks for drivers are in line with or exceed national requirements, including annual checks as opposed to the national requirement of checks every four years.

"We take safety extremely seriously and when we were alerted to a possible issue with North Birmingham Travel we contacted them and we will re-check their DBS certificates. NBT is co-operating with us in this."

The DBS checks are the same no matter where the applicant is from, the issue is what the council actually does with that info.

Clearly Birmingham have a higher pass criteria to that of Sandwell.

Clearly, part 2, no one at that scrutiny meeting could express the above two sentences and instead have made this issue political.

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IDFIMH

More murkiness in Sandwell

Don't know if there's anything in it, but as usual the blizzard of comms blather in response to the criticisms sounds compelling enough. At face value, anyway


Taxi firms under previous scrutiny by auditors get new contract with Sandwell council

https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/black- ... y-24946553

Grant Thornton had previously questioned why four large contracts with two taxi firms was approved of which the director had links to Sandwell council

Two taxi and private hire companies previously under intense scrutiny for misleading councillors have had their contracts renewed by Sandwell council this week.

North Birmingham Travel and County Cars, along with seven other taxi companies, will both deliver home-to-school transport for vulnerable children across the Sandwell borough.

After intense media scrutiny last year - where it was revealed taxi employees did not hold DBS certificates at neighbouring councils - new drivers and passenger assistants will undergo rigorous checks and safeguarding training before taking children to school in the new term.

But Companies Houses documents show North Birmingham Travel under a ‘compulsory strike off’ as recently as August 30. County Cars had a similar strike-off in March this year, before being discontinued in May.

A company will receive a compulsory strike-off notice when it fails to file its accounts with Companies House in time. North Birmingham Travel’s accounts have not been updated since March 2021, according to Companies Houses.

Councillor Jay Anandou told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he has written to Sandwell council “four times” with his concerns about the scheme.

In a letter posted online, he said: “I have deep concerns about the current model which is neither entrepreneurial from a business perspective, nor creating value for taxpayers money.

“The Sandwell public entrusts us to manage and scrutinise millions and millions worth of hard-earned taxpayers money, especially in times of soaring energy prices, the cost of living, and we as Sandwell council are very far from being entrepreneurial.

“I have repeatedly requested the council to allow members to scrutinise the new SEND model before implementation, which was ignored, and the result yet again [is] a flawed process.

“I urge the scrutiny board to call for a discussion in the next available opportunity to make sure next year’s procurement model is reviewed and securitised before implementing.”

Contracts for home-to-school transport services for vulnerable children made news in August last year after neighbouring Birmingham city council had terminated its contract with North Birmingham Travel. The council found discrepancies in DBS checks for more than 50 employees and potential ‘deliberate tampering’ with a document, according to a council report.

It was revealed 59 out of 110 employees listed by the company to provide the service for Birmingham city counci l did not have a confirmed DBS check in place, council compliance officers found. North Birmingham Travel has since had its contract terminated after an emergency meeting.

Azeem Hafeez, director of North Birmingham Travel and County Cars, a lso had a four-year transport contract with Sandwell council. It emerged Mr Hafeez, the son of former Sandwell council deputy leader Mahboob Hussain, were both named in the 2016 Wragge Report over dodgy land deals. The report was a significant reason for government-appointed commissioners to enter the council in March.

The decision to award the contracts came after Grant Thornton, the external auditor into governance at Sandwell council, had questioned why four large contracts with just two companies were approved, who in themselves come under the ownership of one individual.

Last year, Rajbir Singh, the previous leader of Sandwell council, had halted proceedings to award the contract to Mr Hafeez’s firms and established an internal review to understand how the award was made.

Despite intense scrutiny related to the award of the contract, minutes at a children’s services and education scrutiny board meeting noted: “processes for checking DBSs within Sandwell was different; checks were conducted in-house and the leader of the council had instructed that all DBSs should be re-checked to provide additional assurances”.

The internal review, excluding the public and press, was leaked to the Local Democracy Reporting Service , which found Sandwell council had ‘ no written record ’ on the decision to award Mr Hafeez the £20 million contract. It also found council officers failed to declare if they have any potential conflict of interests.

Councillor Simon Hackett, Sandwell council's cabinet member for children and education, said: “We are committed to giving children and young people in Sandwell the best possible start in life. We’re determined to support children and young people the best way we can, and this new model for SEND transport will provide them with the highest quality services to travel between home and school.

“This procurement exercise has been carried out in a fair and transparent way for all potential providers. We have followed a clear and consistent process to assess each bid with moderation provided by external legal advisors, as was set out at the beginning of this process.

When queried by the LDRS on the award of contracts to North Birmingham Travel and County Cars, councillor Hackett added: “In designing this new process for awarding contracts for SEND transport we have implemented all recommendations made by our external auditors and from an internal review carried out after the last procurement exercise.

“We have also received independent legal advice in order to design this new framework that ensures we can provide high quality services for families in Sandwell, alongside attracting multiple providers that delivers value for money for the council and means we can maintain a resilient service.

“This procurement exercise has been carried out in a fair, robust and transparent way for all potential providers. We have followed a clear and consistent process to assess each bid with moderation provided by external legal advisors, as was set out at the beginning of this process.”

The LDRS attempted to contact Mr Hafeez for comment but he did not respond to our requested deadline.

Previously Mr Hafeez told local media : "We are very proud of what we do. We deliver services to exceptional standards and pride ourselves in going beyond what’s required and it’s a shame that we have now lost the opportunity to show all the hard work that has gone into preparing for this coming term for our Birmingham families.

"It’s been presented by the council and so in the subsequent media reports in a way that we feel is trashing our reputation, which we have worked hard to gain, supported by our committed workforce."

@ grandad

I am in agreement with you on your statements.

To clarify the matter beyond any doubt as per the Cambridge online dictionary the definition of slavery is thus:

"the activity of legally owning other people who are forced to work for or obey you".

Nobody is being forced to work there. They are free to choose. It does not matter if they are earning £1 per hour or £20. They do so of their own free will and can work elsewhere if they are not happy with their conditions.

I am an example of leaving the trade for just that.

In relation to the general low standard of pay in the UK taxi trade, most cases in this country are a consequence of council over regulation as opposed to "bad companies" "exploiting" their workers etc.

The council should investigate themselves.

They may find the actual cause.