Cabbies accuse council of ducking out of meeting

[dutchman]

Coventry’s taxi drivers say council bosses may have missed their chance to stop them taking legal action in a row over licences.



It’s after council officers rather than politicians turned up to a meeting between the two sides last week aimed at talking through the issue of new licences.

So far this year there have been two lengthy strikes by cabbies angry at officials’ refusal to impose a temporary cap on the number of licences.

Councillors have repeatedly said this would be illegal without conducting a survey first, which they’ve agreed to pay for, with drivers reimbursing them through their own licence fees.

Councillor Lindsley Harvard, Cabinet Member for City Services, said: “(If we were taken to court), the only damage it would do would be to the time the survey would take and the cost of it.”

“We only have a certain amount of money – so we wouldn’t want to jeopardise that happening.”

“We’ve got a £36 million cut coming from central government, so we’re ill-advised to spend money on things like lawsuits.”

Imran Zaman, chairman of Coventry’s Taxi Association, ruled out further strike action, saying:

“There’s no point drivers staying at home annoying the public when the only people who can decide this are the courts.”

Mercia has now been told that a decision on legal action will be made by 21st March.