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Row as plan to hike taxi licences falters
THURROCK Council’s plans to hike up the cost of some taxi licences by as much as 233 per cent have been thrown out by its licensing committee. The committee voted to defer a review of the Labour-run authority’s licensing application fees amid concerns the increases were too steep.
A report proposed putting the licence fee for new private hire taxi drivers up by 188 per cent from £125 for three years, to £120 annually. It also proposed increasing charges for renewing the licence for private hire drivers from £90 for three years, to £100 annually, an increase of 233 per cent.
Licence charges for new hackney carriage taxi drivers were set to go up to £120 a year, where before it was free – renewing the licence was also free before, but was set to increase to £100 a year.
Vice-chairman of the committee, Tory councillor Tunde Ojetola, said after the meeting: “Thurrock Conservatives have been pushing for this service to be self funding for a number of years. “The plans put in front of us had merit and it is clear the charges for administering and issuing taxi and other licences must be borne from the applicants, not the council tax payer.
“However plans to introduce yearly applications just ties the council and applicants up in red tape. “Any increase could not be agreed as supporting figures could not be justified.”
Labour councillor Mike Stone, chairman of the committee, slammed the Tories for claiming they had defeated the planned increases. He said: “Thurrock Conservatives had six years to address this issue and failed.
“Ideally, licensing fees and charges would have been increased gradually, in line with inflation. “It is a real shame the local Tories feel the need to pull cheap political tricks.”
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