In his opinion piece he also tries to lobby operators to write to the LC (good thing) indicating how bad it will be if their PH drivers leave that side of the trade and work on the other side (bad thing).

I think it's called 'freedom of choice' Mr Roland.

Still it's interesting to see that gene pool of the 'Northern Mill Owners' is still alive and thriving up north in the PH trade.

And there was silly old me thinking that slavery was abolished.

Yes, and here's little old me going to suggest scrapping operators licenses and making the PH drivers license a dual ph driver operator license.

I often wondered why they don't make the badge the ops license.

In Mr Roland's PHM opinion, he states;

All I know is that some 94 councils in England and Wales still retain the numbers limits; that is 20 more than ten years ago, so there is clear and unequivocal evidence that councils have been re-regulating - because of the effects imposed upon them by their deregulating status.

Oh dear.

Not everyone agreed with the viewpoint taken by the OFT, including the then government, but no-one questioned their numbers in respect of the number of councils that restrict, and the number of councils that allow free entry to the taxi trade.

In their report, 9 years ago, they stated that 45% of the 343 licensing authorities restricted taxi numbers, down for 74% in 1986. So that roughly mean 154 councils then restricted.

The following year (2004) the DfT wrote to the 151 councils that still restricted taxi numbers asking them to justify their policies. At that time TDO's good friend JD started his restrictions list, which has been kept going since he sadly left us.

JD's restrictions list

This list is an accurate up to date list, and shows that only 86 councils still restrict taxi numbers, and that includes those few councils that have re-restricted, and the one council that has re-delimited (my word of the day).

Quite where Mr Roland got his stats from is unclear, but what is crystal clear is they are so far from the truth that one wonders why he put them in his magazine.

He should know better.

He only has 15 years of evidence in his archives.

Where's your evidence from the last 15 years?

JD used to get loads of things wrong ,, I never told him, it wasn't in my interests

You are joking aren't you?

According to Mr Roland 10 years ago only 74 councils restricted. When in reality 154 did.

JD's list is an accurate list, unless you can point to where it's wrong.

It lists all those council that restricted in 2004 and what they have done since, either de-limited, stayed restricted, re-restricted or re-delimited.

If you and Mr Roland are going to try and get the LC to change their view by repeating utter lies, then you deserve what you will get.

But I will give you a question for starters. Mr Roland says that 20 councils have re-restricted in the last 10 years, I say that is rubbish, however I look forward to seeing those councils that have done so, so who are they?

TBH I can't believe I'm actually having this conversation with someone like you.

TDO has been going how long?

PHTM has been going how Long?

I believe I am right and you believe you are right.

I always found JD's list to be accurate.