Taxi Driver Online

Coventry council leader's fury at taxi licensing shake-up


COVENTRY council leader John Mutton has criticised his own officials over proposals to shake-up taxi licensing rules.

The Labour councillor said he was outraged at proposed controversial changes which could have hit jobs at Coventry cab maker LTI.

And he is angry that he knew nothing about them before they were put in a report.

A proposal to ditch the current Conditions of Fitness policy on cabs in favour of more relaxed standards was mooted in a licensing committee paper.

Unions claimed in last Saturday’s Telegraph that the move posed a significant threat to hundreds of jobs at LTI.

Coun Mutton has since removed the item from the council agenda, postponed the meeting and has vowed to keep the proposal ‘off all agenda papers’ until a full investigation is carried out. Union leaders at the iconic black cab firm in Holyhead Road, made a plea for support at the weekend after learning that the council planned to look at a rule change.

They claimed the move could cost them business and result in the factory closing within two years – leading to hundreds of jobs being axed.

Coun Mutton said: “Once I got down off the ceiling my initial thought was ‘Who has done this?’. Any change of policy in the council should come through the Labour party.

“This action could result in the loss of skilled jobs in Coventry, which is particularly bad for a company which has remained so loyal to the city. Obviously there needs to be a full investigation into whether a change in policy would be beneficial and, until that is done, the proposal will not be looked at again.”

A change in policy could result in the council scrapping the Conditions of Fitness regulations which call for taxi manufacturers to meet high standards in design, which include driver and passenger safety, accessibility for people with disabilities and manoeuvrability.

Currently, only a limited number of models, including those made by LTI, conform to the regulations.



Read More http://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/c ... z1742kPUCO

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