A councillor has thanked members of the local taxi community for taking the time to raise concerns about new licensing rules and by attending the council meeting at the Three Counties Hotel to hand in a petition.
Around 70-80 taxi drivers attended a protest at the Three Counties Hotel this morning, with Herefordshire Council Leader David Hitchiner listening to the concerns of drivers from across the city and beyond.
A short update was shared by the Herefordshire Coalition earlier this morning:
“Coun Ange Tyler thanks members of the Hereford Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association for submitting the Petition & signatures to Herefordshire Council today.
“Acknowledges the existing Policy is causing concerns with the trade, which remains in force until the new Policy is adopted. ‘I ask that the trade be patient with Council, in particular the licensing department during this time.
“The Council has a duty of care for members of the public to be safe when travelling from A to B. Consultation responses to the review of the Taxi Licensing Policy are being scrutinised by the legal team supported by James Button, Principal Solicitor of James Button & Co.
“This is a complicated Policy that deserves time to ensure that the Policy presented to full Council in May is fit for purpose. The Council held two meetings inviting the trade to discuss their concerns and encouraged all their members to present their views through the consultation to ensure their voice was heard.”
Photos from the protest this morning:
There are concerns that the new policy will introduce a test that some existing drivers are concerned they may not pass and therefore be forced out of a job that some of them have done for several years.
Taxi drivers that we have spoken to have told us that under the new license plans, drivers would be expected to have a detailed knowledge of every street in the county, which some drivers say is almost impossible.
Taxi licensing policy consultation – Herefordshire Consultations
- Explanatory note
- Section 1 – Hackney carriage and private hire draft policy
- Section 2 – Penalty points scheme
- Section 3 – Previous convictions policy
- Section 4 – Driver licences
- Section 5 – Hackney carriage proprietor vehicle licences
- Section 6 – Private hire vehicle proprietor licences
- Section 7 – Private hire operators licences
