Taxi Driver Online

Moves to get taxi trade members talking


NEARLY 500 taxi drivers in Guildford are receiving a council consultation document which seeks their opinions on the formation of a new discussion forum for their trade.

The Taxi Advisory Group (TAG) was formed in 1988 for members, including representatives from the taxi trade and councillors, to offer views and make suggestions on taxi-related policy independently of the council's licensing and transport sub-committee.

However, over the past 22 years there have been many changes within the Hackney and private taxi trades. Councillors are now concerned that the TAG is not performing its function adequately and want to change its terms of reference.

At a recent meeting of Guildford Borough Council’s licensing committee, members put forward proposals about what options should be presented to drivers.

Councillor John Garrett, vice-chairman of the committee, said the TAG was originally formed “to listen to the thoughts” of the private and hire trade.

Cllr Garrett said: “The feeling is that they are not heard.”

An earlier taxi trade membership group has been dissolved and now Hackney drivers have formed two representative groups – the Guildford Hackney Association and the Association of Guildford Taxi Drivers.

A report to the licensing committee on the subject of the TAG stated that this move had resulted in a small number of Hackney cab drivers with “agendas not necessarily supported by all their colleagues” attending meetings to put their views across.

The same report said that recent TAG meetings had not achieved the results that would be expected of such a group and that on occasions the number of representatives from the council had exceeded those from the trade.

The new terms of reference for the TAG forum propose that through regular meetings the group will act as a representative body for the whole Hackney carriage and private hire trade to enable the council to make fully formed decisions.

Membership will be open to the whole taxi trade in Guildford and each trade association will be allowed one representative per 50 members, up to a maximum of two.

The chairman of the licensing committee, representative of the licensing team and one councillor will be required to attend TAG meetings.

Raising concerns about the lack of elected members proposed for the forum, Cllr David Goodwin asked that there should be three councillors, not two, as proposed by the first draft document.

Cllr Goodwin said: “It’s a shame we haven’t got a copy of the old agreement or terms of reference because I know that in the past it was stipulated that one member of Friary and St Nicolas ward and one of Holy Trinity needed to be members.”

He also expressed concern about the role of the chairman proposed as being filled by the licensing services manager, currently Bob Mattock, rather than an elected member of the council.

Mr Mattock said that amendments related to Cllr Goodwin’s concerns had since been made to the consultation document – the results of which are likely to be discussed at the July 6 meeting of the licensing committee.

Surrey Police will also be invited to be a permanent member of the group.


http://www.getsurrey.co.uk/news/s/

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

I'm getting a sense of deja vu here!

?

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Our forum of which I believe you are an honorary member????????

pmsl oh yes!

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

Why not just have open meetings where anyone can attend?

Or have an annual vote from all the drivers as to whom they want to represent them.

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IDFIMH

Tried it all, Sussex.

We had meetings where 6-7 out of 250+ drivers attended. (I must admit to being one of the absentees due to the timings of the meetings.)

We now have a forum. 54 have joined. There are about 5 or 6 actively posting.

To publicise the forum, and website, we have bombarded drivers with flyers; asked companies to include in newsletters and have a permanent entry in the council's newsletter.