Mick Pollard wrote:
The thing is the premium issue will not be resolved overnight but if we were to say that at midnight of the 31st December 2007 no plates maybe transfered between licence holders and if a holder no longer wishes to use the plate it must be returned to the Licensing department for re-alllocation. Also anyone who does not hold a Hackney Drivers Licence will have any plates revoked and only one plate per licencee will be issued.
It's a start, and perhaps if this was the outcome of the 1985 Act, we wouldn't be in the (in my view) mess we are.
The thing with the premium, is that it will always exist, until such a time as it doesn't. I know that's bloody obvious, but I can't see a workable alternative.
In Scotland, the transferal of plates is outlawed. But you still have drivers leaving the trade, in some councils and renting out their plates. You have some drivers, in some councils in-corperating their plates into a company, and then leaving that company to those who have bought the plate. And then you have a few that up hold the wording of the law, and don't allow any of that.
In short, we are back to that mess.
I'm also not too sure that restricting the trade to the trade, would be permitted under Euro law.
The only way to get those out of the trade that aren't working in it, is to get rid of what brings them into it.