Taxi Driver Online

Taxi organisation criticises Northumberland County Council over licensing delays

The Northumberland Taxi and Private Hire Association (NTPHA) has claimed there have been delays of up to eight weeks, meaning some drivers have suffered from a significant loss of earnings while they wait for their new licence.

The council has defended the licensing team, arguing August is one of the busier times of the year due to additional applications relating to school transport.

A spokesman for the NTPHA said: “The council are currently running six to eight weeks behind with paperwork and taxi plates. One driver posted their paperwork in July and has still not received it back – it means we can’t work.

“Some drivers have been waiting up to ten weeks.

“The driver has to submit a paper licence to work with other firms, and is losing out on £1,500 a month. Our biggest fear is that this is a public safety issue.

“What the council’s licensing department has said is to send them the email of the insurance company and they will say that we have paid and are fully covered – but of there was something that went wrong, if a driver was in an accident and there was a fatality, where would their insurance stand? It is scary.

“The council need to get things in house sorted as a matter of urgency. Drivers are losing money hand over fist.”

The association insisted it was not trying to ‘make trouble’.

In recent years the process has moved online, when previously licensing applications were done face-to-face. The association claims this took less than an hour.

Coun Gordon Stewart, the council’s cabinet member for communities, said: “We would refute any suggestion the taxi licensing department is understaffed and unorganised. There are currently five members in this team, not two, who have dealt with over 1,600 applications relating to taxi and private hire licensing over the last year.

“Like many services, the department has busier periods throughout the year, and August is one of these times with additional applications relating to school transport.

"However we will always prioritise new applications and urgent business as we work to support the many taxi drivers who provide a great service to Northumberland residents.”

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IDFIMH

August comes at the same time every year, so is it asking that much for the council to ensure a sufficient level of staff to meet the increased demand at that time?

We are dealing with people's livelihoods here?

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IDFIMH

I'm sure

Incidentally, despite looking similar at first glance, presumably this is a local association and nothing to do with the NTPHA. Or it's actually the NPHTA, isn't it?


Not sure I fully understand that - is he saying the council are saying that they've to tell the insurers that they're still licensed because they've submitted their renewal fee but the application just hasn't been processed by the council?

That's the way it works here in Scotland, but then again the legislation specifically states that as long as a renewal is submitted before expiry then the licence continues until the council has processed it.


Read that earlier on, presumably from another source or before/after editing, and it said:


Just kind of noticed that because it was a slightly unusual way to put something like that.

I doubt if the council will be impressed by the trade saying it is trying to 'help' them, which sounds a bit patronising.

Not saying it isn't justified, but maybe not the kind of approach likely to get results.


So the council prioritises new applicants and leaves existing licensees unable to work?

And nothing to do with staff holidays, perchance?

Presumably the vast majority of other councils manage to cope with all this

civil service incompetency being excused by civil servants !

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