Council blocks ‘rude’ emails from taxi leader

The spokesman for Hereford’s taxi drivers has been blocked from contacting the council in an acrimonious ongoing dispute over proposed changes to the county’s taxi licensing regime.

Hereford Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association chairman John Jones said that, frustrated by the official consultation on the changes which ended last week, he had tried to email all councillors via their council email addresses instead, but found his email address blocked.

“So I used my secretary’s email instead,” he said. “Councillors have a right to make decisions and those should be informed ones. They need to hear both sides of the argument.”

Mr Jones had earlier fallen foul of the council’s unreasonable behaviour policy as “he would not desist from sending defamatory and rude emails to both staff and the cabinet member”, the council said.

However, it said it had forwarded Mr Jones’ emails to councillors anyway, as “this process does not impact on his right to lobby members”.

Mr Jones said even the extended consultation did not enable drivers to put their concerns across adequately.

“There has to be some debate and negotiation, but they are simply telling us how it’s going to be, and offering to ‘clarify’ that,” he said.

He has set out a list of over 60 concerns over the planned changes, which include tight restrictions on which vehicles can be licensed.

“They want to bring in restrictions on vehicles’ ages straight away in spring,” he said.

“Contracts to provide transport services to the council will handed back in , because 90 per cent of those vehicles won’t pass as they are over 10 years old. When you tender (for council work), they take the lowest bid, so drivers can’t afford to replace them.”

And he said of a ‘Knowledge’-style test of routes around the county, due to become a requirement of all new and re-registering drivers: “I’ve had a licence for 38 years, and I wouldn’t pass. This in an age where you have satnav to take you anywhere.”

He said about 50 drivers had intended to protest at a full council meeting at Hereford’s Three Counties Hotel last week, which was cancelled due to the weather and rising Covid-19 cases.

“I am under pressure to hold a strike, which I don’t want to do – that would leave no taxis for those who rely on them,” Mr Jones said. “But it’s inevitable if this goes through.”

Herefordshire Council’s spokesperson said that during two online consultation meetings in November, “the trade were able to ask questions, and did so”. These questions “will be used in the policy review”, he added.

“The council is very aware that the trade is concerned about its viability following the departure of many of its drivers, and will endeavour to find a way forward that will not impact unduly on the trade, although not at the cost of public safety nor safeguarding protection of passengers,” the spokesperson said.

The resulting final version of the revised regulations will have to be approved by full council, likely to be in May.