Brighton Councillors Reject Plan For Taxi Penalty Points

Hundreds of taxi drivers facing a new “punitive” penalty point system signed a petition urging councillors to drop the idea.

Drivers, proprietors and operators would have risked having their licences revoked if they accumulated too many points for breaking licensing rules.

The aim was to ensure that drivers were “fit and proper” as required by law, according to Brighton and Hove City Council.

But after the scheme was debated at Hove Town Hall yesterday (Tuesday 13 February), councillors sided with the trade and rejected the proposals.

Trade rep Ahmed Abuorof presented the petition to the council’s Licensing Committee on behalf of hackney carriage – or taxi – drivers as well as private hire drivers.

Mr Abuorof said that there was a shortage of drivers joining the trade and said:

“While we understand the importance of maintaining high standards and ensuring passenger safety, we believe the proposed penalty point system may be excessively punitive and does not take into account unique circumstances taxi drivers often face.

“As members of our local community, taxi drivers provide an essential service and they play a crucial role in our city transportation network.”

A report to councillors said that all of the 1,363 drivers licensed by the council were contacted before the consultation which received 69 responses.

Of those, 63 responses objected to the scheme including one from the GMB union which represents the trade.

Labour councillor Emma Daniel, who chairs the Licensing Committee, said that she and her deputy, Councillor Tobias Sheard, met every representative of the taxi trade who had asked to speak to them.

She made it clear that the proposals would add penalties to taxi licences, not driving licences.

Labour councillor, John Hewitt, who voted against the proposal, said that any scheme should ensure that drivers and operators functioned to a safe and high professional standard.

Councillor Hewitt said:

“It should never be introduced as a means to punish them. I’m sure this obviously isn’t the intention of this scheme but it could be an unintended consequence of it.”

Formal warnings and training would be more effective, he said.

Another Labour councillor Faiza Baghoth was concerned that half of Brighton and Hove’s registered drivers were against the proposals.

Councillor Baghoth said:

“On whose behalf are we trying to put this system in if the majority don’t want it.

“We’re supposed to listen to the majority of them. It’s the drivers who are concerned. In whose interest is it that we go forward with this point system?”

She was also concerned about subjectivity when it came to issuing points.

Green councillor Steve Davis also voted against the proposals during a “tough time” for the trade because of the “cost of living crisis” and increased motoring costs.

Councillor Davis also cited the rise of out-of-town licensed private hire drivers who operated with less strict Lewes and Chichester licences through Uber.

He said: “We have an outstanding professional trade who we should be trying to take with us on this. I just don’t think now is the time to be putting this report through.”

Councillor Sheard said that he understood driver concerns about a review and how points on their taxi licence could be a “terrifying” prospect.

The Labour councillor added:

“Overall, this gives a consistency to the trade. They know where they stand with each offence. They know a worst-case scenario of what (each) offence means.”

Several nearby councils, including Lewes, Worthing, Mid Sussex, Rother, Wealden and Crawley, already have a penalty point systems in place, the committee was told.

The decision was not whipped, allowing councillors a free vote, and they rejected the proposals by seven votes to four.