Telford taxi drivers face tough crackdown
Tougher rules on who can be licensed to drive taxis have been agreed by councillors.
Telford & Wrekin Council's Licensing Committee met last night and agreed to press ahead with changes that will significantly lengthen the amount of time convicted criminals have to wait before they can apply for a licence.
The plans come amid concern from the authority over licensing for private hire drivers in Telford – an issue reignited earlier this year when a driver in the town was jailed for sexually assaulting a female passenger.
It emerged that the convicted driver had not been licensed by Telford & Wrekin Council, and had instead secured his permit in another council area.
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The council has been lobbying the government for a change in the rules which would prevent drivers from working in areas where they did not obtain their licence.
The new plans will see the authority toughen up its own licensing, limiting those who can be licensed.
Under the policy crimes that result in death, involve exploitation, or sex and indecency offences, will see the perpetrators permanently excluded from obtaining a licence.
A series of other offences will have a rehabilitation period before people become eligible to apply.
Enhanced
Those convicted of supplying drugs will not be able to apply for ten years after the end of their sentence, while sentences involving possession of a weapon, dishonesty, or discrimination, will all have a rehabilitation period of seven years.
Drink and drug driving offences will also have rehabilitation periods of seven years, while people convicted of using a mobile phone while driving will have to wait five years before they are eligible.
A 28 day consultation on the plans will now take place with the taxi industry and barring any delays the new policy would come into force from January 1 next year.
The new plans come as the council revealed it is in discussions with nearby City of Wolverhampton Council, where a number of the drivers who work in Telford obtain their licences.
Angie Astley, assistant director of Telford & Wrekin Council: "We have been lobbying the Government to secure a national set of standards for licensing conditions across the country and we'll continue to do that.
"We haven't had any feedback from the Government yet that they are going to make those changes so in the absence of that taxi drivers can go and get a licence in Wolverhampton where their standards are lower than ours.
"We have been in conversation with Wolverhampton. The deputy leader of T&W Council, Councillor Richard Overton, had a meeting with the chair of the licensing committee in Wolverhampton last week and we're meeting with officers of their licensing team next week to see if we can come to some local agreement that their standards will be enhanced to meet ours."
