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Labour Peer proposes amendment to scrap (in part) sec 16 of the 1985 Transport Act

by News admin on January 24, 2010 · 4 comments

in Deregulation,Legal & Policy,Licensing

Source: Taxi Driver Online

A late amendment to the 2010 Equality Bill was added by Baroness Wilkins on Tuesday 19th January 2010. This amendment, if enacted, could end the discretion that local licensing authorities have in restricting the number of hackney carriages they license.

Insert the following new Clause—

120A “Control of numbers of licensed taxis; exception

(1) This section applies if—
(a) an application for a licence in respect of a vehicle is made under section 37 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847,
(b) it is possible for a disabled person—
(i) to get into and out of the vehicle in safety,
(ii) to travel in the vehicle in safety and reasonable comfort, and
(iii) to do the things mentioned in sub-paragraphs (i) and (ii) while in a wheelchair of a size specified in regulations made by the Secretary of State, and
(c) the proportion of taxis licensed in respect of the area to which the licence would (if granted) apply that conform to the requirement in paragraph (b) is less than the proportion that is specified in regulations made by the Secretary of State.

(2) Section 16 of the Transport Act 1985 (which modifies the provisions of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 about hackney carriages to allow a licence to ply for hire to be refused in order to limit the number of licensed carriages) does not apply in relation to the vehicle; and those provisions of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 are to have effect subject to this section.

(3) In section 16 of the Transport Act 1985, after “shall” insert “(subject to section (Control of numbers of licensed taxis: exception) of the Equality Act 2010)”.”

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Tagged as: Deregulation

{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }

dave January 25, 2010 at 10:08 pm: I don’t know where she expects these taxis to go? Maybe they could build a ramp so that they can rank up ontop of the central station, or since they are talking about taxis driving themselves at heathrow, she maybe getting confused with back to the future where cars fly! Why dont these people actually come & sit in my cab on a weekend as a observer & then pass your judgement, rather than making things up in your towers!!!
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Stephen Arthur January 25, 2010 at 3:36 pm: The annoying thing about this is that Baroness Wilkins is nothing more than a “Activist”, and Activists rarely know what they are talking about!, this looney Labour woman was heavily involved in Occupational Therapy and yet she was not a qualified Occupational Therapist herself..say no more eh?.
I suppose Gainmanor (the Doblo shop) at the Silverlink will finacially gain if she gets her way, sadly no one else will.
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taxi man January 24, 2010 at 10:33 pm: yep that will do the trick
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Admin January 24, 2010 at 9:41 pm: email sent to Lady Wilkins:
Dear Lady Wilkins,
I write with concern about your proposed amendment to the 2010 Equality Bill Re: section 16 of the 1985 Transport Act.Our website (toomanytaxis.com) constantly highlights the fact that there are already too many taxis and the fact that LA’s do not provide enough rank spaces,I am a Taxi driver myself and rarely even make the minimum wage for the hours I put in.Also in view of the complete mess in Ireland with regard to the deregulation of Taxis, I cannot understand why anyone would wish to replicate that situation in the rest of the British isles.
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