Leeds council deputy leader answers minicab driver concerns
The ongoing Clean Air Zone consultation is not just about who will face charges, but also how drivers can be helped to buy less polluting vehicles.
That’s the message to private hire drivers from deputy council leader James Lewis after they told the YEP about the difficulties they already face in trying to make a decent living.
“The purpose isn’t to raise money – it’s to meet the legal standards for air quality set by the Government,” he said.
“If it doesn’t raise a lot of money, we’re getting to the right point as it means there’s not a lot of polluting vehicles.
“It’s our hope that no-one will be paying the private hire charge but where help is needed to buy low emission vehicles, the council hopes to be able to use the available government funding to set up loan or grant schemes.”
He added that private hire vehicles had to be monitored because they spend so much time on the city’s roads.
Answering concerns about existing private hire fees, he said the money paid covered the cost of licensing administration, vehicle inspections and enforcement.
And legislation means the council must not profit, so it regularly reviews fee levels.
One area of shared concern is the number of out-of-town minicab drivers operating in Leeds, mainly because the council cannot take enforcement action against those licensed elsewhere under current laws.
Coun Lewis said: “It means there are private hire drivers who we know nothing about.”
He believes changes to the law and a national system for licensing are needed.
A national database would also help the council apply the Clean Air Zone charge to out-of-town drivers, levelling the playing field for local drivers.
Coun Lewis said drivers’ concerns about city centre drop-off areas had prompted a review of current arrangements, particularly around the appeals process for fines issued.
“We do recognise taxi and private hire offer an important services and concerns about this have been brought into sharp relieve in terms of drop-offs,” he said.
But he said congestion in certain areas of the city centre and bus access needed to be taken into consideration too.
Meanwhile, work is also being done by police and the council’s anti-social behaviour team to reduce attacks on vehicles, which are not limited to minicabs.
Coun Lewis said: “We’re working quite closely with the police around that. It’s an issue that affects a lot of people working out on the roads – emergency services, council staff and buses as well.”