Taxi Driver Online

Can't work out why they are increasing the fees by so much?

Surely it has nothing to do with the £250,000 they wasted fighting a pointless case against an operator, or the huge costs involved defending quotas, or can it?


FEES RISE ON CARDS FOR TAXIS IN PLYMOUTH

Taxi and private hire vehicle fees could be increased after a six-year freeze. Plymouth City Council's licensing committee will be considering a proposal to increase fees when it meets on August 30.

The changes would mean that drivers pay more of the administration costs, rather than council taxpayers. Plymouth City Council says that the fees are lower than the national average.

It says that Plymouth hackney carriage drivers currently pay £80 a year in fees, compared to £190 a year in Exeter. And private hire drivers in Plymouth pay £35 a year, whereas drivers in Exeter must shell out £199.

The council wants to increase the cost of a hackney carriage licence to £200 and the cost of a private hire licence to £70. Councillor Sue Dann, cabinet member for transport and human resources, said: "We know that this will not be a popular decision among the trade, but if we do not do anything, the council taxpayer will end up footing the bill to regulate their trade.

"A few years ago we had a surplus and were advised by the District Auditor to run this down. Now, we are in deficit and we cannot regulate this important trade with a deficit. By increasing the fees, those who stand to benefit the most will be paying for it."

Over the last few years, the cost of administering the trade has increased because of things like CRB checks and changes in legislation. There are currently 485 hackney carriage drivers and 847 private hire drivers in Plymouth.

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IDFIMH

http://makeashorterlink.com/?D27C13EAB

from todays local rag (again):

TAXI LICENCE 'PIRACY' CLAIM
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12:00 - 26 August 2005
A taxi boss has described a planned hike in fees for the hackney carriage and private hire trade as 'piracy'. And Taxifast chief John Preece has now written to financial watchdog the Audit Commission urging it to investigate the handling of the city's taxi finances.

His move comes in advance of a meeting of the council's licensing committee next Tuesday to consider a proposed increase in driver and vehicle fees, following a six-year freeze.

Taxi operators' charges will not change but the current £1,000 cap will be scrapped. The city's 10 operators will be charged for every driver on their lists, to reflect the cost of administration.

The council acknowledged that the move would not be popular, but said the rises would mean that drivers paid more of the administration costs, rather than council taxpayers, and pointed out that the fees were lower than the national average. It said Plymouth hackney carriage drivers currently paid £80 a year, compared to £190 in Exeter, and private hire drivers just £35 a year compared to £199 in Exeter.

The council wants to raise the cost of a hackney carriage licence to £200 and a private hire licence to £70. Drivers' licences would also increase.

But Mr Preece, in a strongly worded letter to officials, has criticised the lack of consultation and the service provided by the licensing department.

He wrote: "It's not the driver licence revenue that is lacking but the woeful lack of policing of the industry by your department. Taxifast is prepared to engage in meaningful, constructive talks to achieve a fair and equitable budget for the industry but is not prepared to support piracy to bolster failing council coffers."

And in a separate letter to the Audit Commission he says: "Not long ago we had a £130,000 surplus. As there has been no increase in service to the trade - in fact, there has been a notable decrease - and no decrease in revenue to the council - in fact, there has been an increase - where has the money gone?"

He has requested an urgent financial investigation into the taxi trade budget, raising concerns that it is being used to subsidise other licensing functions.

However, the council says over the last few years, the cost of administration has gone up, with new statutory Criminal Records Bureau checks on new licence applications, legal support and changes in legislation imposing new costs on the authority.

All drivers will receive a letter outlining the proposal, and there will be a period of consultation.

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At least you have to hand it to John Preece for keeping a check on these councilors. I think we might have an idea where most of that 130 grand went? Maybe we should review those two stories again in the light of what is taking place in Plymouth?

Regards

JD

What relevance is it to the council the number of drivers an operator has?

The cost of processing the license should be the same whether a firm has 100 drivers or 1000.

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IDFIMH

http://makeashorterlink.com/?Z5C4614CB

WE'RE PAYING COUNCIL BILL'

TOM PALMER

12:00 - 08 September 2005
Taxi drivers in Plymouth are claiming licence fees have been put up to pay off the authority's controversial failed legal battle with cab firm Silverline. A letter from the National Private Hire Association outlining their case on behalf of Plymouth members has been sent to the council's chief executive Barry Keel.

The letter claims the council has illegally increased the fees - which are set to more than double - after £162,250 was taken from the private hire budget, which they claim was used to pay off city cab company Silverline.

The association says that this is a case of the council charging the taxi companies for the authority's own failed legal attempt against a cab firm and it goes 'against every precept of law'.

In January the Herald exclusively revealed that the council had paid Silverline about £120,000 of taxpayers' money in a confidential agreement.

The deal was done in December following a long-running legal battle with the firm over its operating licence which the council eventually lost on appeal at Plymouth Crown Court.

Budget figures show that legal expenses for private hire in 2002/2003 were £1,100, the following year they were £16,418, but in 2004/2005 they shot up to £162,250. That left the council £207,906 in the red in its private hire and Hackney accounts this year before it announced the licensing fee increases.

The letter states that the council has taken the sum of £162,250 out of the private hire budget, adding: "We are advised that the sum of money deducted from the account is in relation to costs awarded against the council in the Silverline case.

"Nowhere in the Plymouth City Council Act 1975 is there any power to effectively pass off legal costs awarded against the council. We consider the very concept of a council never being at risk for costs in appeals on taxi matters to be against every precept of law that we can imagine.

"In effect the actions of the council are saying 'we can fight every legal action on taxi matters because if we lose we can pass on the costs to the very same taxi drivers who have been against us'."

Now the association are demanding the authority returns the money they have taken from the account and waives the licensing fee increases.

In August the council's licensing committee agreed a consultation on more than doubling fees for private hire and hackney carriage licences.

The fee increase would raise £10,000 this year.

A Plymouth City Council spokeswoman confirmed the council chief executive had received the letter from the National Private Hire Association and said the points raised in the letter would be considered in due course.

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Did they really think that no-one would notice that?

So there we have it, the council and/or councillors fight a battle they were never going to win, and then get the lads, who knew they were never going to win, to foot the bill.

Methinks this one will run and run.

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IDFIMH