percentage of taxi WAVs to taxi saloons than a percentage to be set by the Secretary of State towards the end of the year.

With that in mind TDO has sent out FoI requests to all 88 councils that currently restrict. To date 68 councils have given TDO their ratio of taxi WAVs to taxi saloons. 20 councils have either missed their FoI act deadlines and have been reminded of their duties, or have replied saying they don't know. The don't knows have been requested to re-look.

TDO has coloured coded those that have replied. Those councils in the green have more than 70% of their taxi fleets as WAVs, most of those are 100% WAV, and will not be effected by the new powers in the Act. Councils with a taxi fleet of between 40% and 70% WAVs have been coloured orange. Until we receive the actual percentage by the Secretary of State we will wont know what effect it will have on these councils, but it's fair to say it will more than likely effect those nearer the 40% mark than those nearer the 70% mark.

Those councils coloured red are the ones at most risk of losing their restricting status, two LOs from large councils have told TDO that they see de-limitation as their only via option. Even if de-limitation isn't the option taken up, it's clear to see that in some areas many hundreds of new taxi WAV plates will have to be issued.

Of the 66 councils that have so far replied;

Green 70% to 100% WAVs = 23 council (35%)

Orange 40% to 100% WAVs = 8 councils (12%)

Red 0% to 40% WAVs = 37 councils (53%)

The 88 Councils who have made a decision to retain quantity control.

1. Aylesbury Vale. 57 WAVs out of 57. 100%.

2. Barnsley. 15 WAVs out of 67. 22.38%.

3. Barrow in Furness. 7 WAVs out of 151. 4.63%.

4. Basingstoke. 55 WAVs out of 55. 100%

5. Bath and North East Somerset.

6. Bedford. 41 WAVs out of 70. 58.57%.

7. Birmingham. 1405 WAVs out of 1405. 100%.

8. Blackburn Darwen. 68 WAVs out of 68. 100%.

9. Blackpool. 180 WAVs out of 256 (motorised taxis). 70.31%.

10. Bolton.

11. Bournemouth. 45 WAVs out of 249. 18.07%

12. Bradford.

13. Bracknell. 83 WAVs out of 86. 96.51%.

14. Braintree.

15. Brighton and Hove. 126 WAVs out of 530. 23.77%.

16. Calderdale. Eight zones only Halifax zone restricted. 37 WAVs out of 37. 100%.

17. Cardiff. 493 WAVs out of 893. 55.2%.

18. Carrick.

19. Chester le street.

20. Chorley. 7 WAVs out of 36. 19.44%.

21. Colchester. 32 WAVs out of 130. 24.61%.

22. Congleton. 13 WAVs out of 42 (currently only 38 licensed). 30.95% (34.21%).

23. Corby. 114 WAVs out of 114. 100%.

24. Derbyshire Dales.

25. Dover. 10 WAVs out of 69. 14.49%

26. Durham.

27. Ellesmere Port. 51 WAVs out of 51. 100%.

28. Exeter. 25 WAVs out of 61. 40.98%.

29. Halton.

30. Harrogate. 17 WAVs out of 149. 11.4%.

31. Hastings. 7 WAVs out of 48. 14.58%.

32. Havant. 5 WAVs out of 40. 12.5%.

33. High Peak. 10 WAVs out of 131. 7.63%.

34. Hyndburn. 9 WAVs out of 62. 14.51%.

35. Kingston upon Hull. 170 WAVs out of 170. 100%.

36. Kirklees. 50 WAVs out of 250. 20%.

37. Knowsley. 240 WAVs out of 240. 100%.

38. Lancaster. 15 WAVs out of 109. 13.76%.

39. Leeds. 276 WAVs out of 537. 51.39%.

40. Leicester. 338 WAVs out of 338. 100%.

41. Lincoln.

42. Liverpool. 1426 WAVs out of 1426. 100%.

43. Maidstone. 48 WAVs out of 48. 100%.

44. Manchester.

45. Mid Sussex. 32 WAVs out of 154. 20.77%.

46. Newcastle on Tyne. 441 WAVs out of 780. 56.54%.

47. Newcastle under Lyme. 14 WAVs out of 51. 27.45%.

48. North East Lincs. 94 WAVs out of 235. 40%.

49. North Tyneside. 101 WAVs out of 204. 49.5%.

50. Nottingham. 411 WAVs out of 411. 100%.

51. Oldham. 16 WAVs out of 85. 18.82%.

52. Oxford. 107 WAVs out of 107. 100%.

53. Pendle. 5 WAVs out of 71. 7.04%

54. Penwith.

55. Plymouth. 366 WAVs out of 366. 100%.

56. Poole. 13 WAVs out of 78. 16.66%.

57. Portsmouth. 84 WAVs out of 234. 35.89%.

58. Preston. 187 WAVs out of 187. 100%.

59. Reading.

60. Restormel.

61. Ribble Valley. 1 WAV out of 53. 1.88%.

62. Richmondshire. 6 WAVs out of 65. 9.23%.

63. Rochdale.

64. Rotherham. 13 WAVs out of 52. 25%.

65. Scarborough. 6 WAVs out of 105. 5.71%.

66. Sefton. 196 WAVs out of 271. 72.32%.

67. Sheffield. 857 WAVs out of 857. 100%.

68. Southampton. 59 (77 by Dec 2011) WAVs out of 267 (283 by Dec 2011). 22.09% (27.2% by Dec 2011).

69. Southend on Sea. 96 WAVs out of 276. 34.78%.

70. South Tyneside. 25 WAVs out of 236. 10.59%.

71. Stevenage. 30 WAVs out of 100. 30%.

72. St Helens.

73. Stockport. 120 WAVs out of 120. 100%.

74. Sunderland. 177 WAVs out of 349. 50.71%.

75. Tameside. 149 WAVs out of 149. 100%.

76. Test Valley. 11 WAVs out of 35. 31.42%.

77. Thurrock. 11 WAVs out of 100. 11%.

78. Torbay. 3 WAVs out of 169 (including 7 seasonal taxis). 1.77%.

79. Torridge. 5 WAVs out of 49. 10.2%.

80. Trafford. 143 WAVs out of 143. 100%.

81. Tunbridge wells.

82. Wakefield. 33 WAVs out of 115. 28.69%.

83. Warrington.

84. Weymouth.

85. Wigan.

86. Windsor and Maidenhead. 37 WAVs out of 96. 38.54%

87. Wyre. 15 WAVs out of 160. 9.38%.

88. York. 41 WAVs out of 179 (from July 2010). 22.9%.

EQUALITY BILL

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2009-10/equality.html

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT WE REMEMBER!

I remember the last period of Tory rule and so do you.

Over the past few weeks, we've received so many phone calls pictures, and stories about the suffering people like you endured under the Tories. Memories of low wages and jobs being lost are more than statistics - they are powerful images of the lives we lived.

HAVE A LOOK!

http://www.unionstogether.org.uk/page/invite/IRememberVideo?source=email20100322&utm_source=full%2Blist&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=2010_03_22

NATIONAL NEWS

The Institute of Licensing is conducting a substantial nationwide consultation (the first of its kind) to ask how the existing laws for taxis, which date back as far as 1847, work for different users including drivers, operators, customers and regulators.

The overall aim is to establish if there is a need for reform of the legislation outside London, to make it fit for purpose for the 21st century.

There are many reasons for embarking on this exercise, principally:

- existing laws date back as far as 1847
- lack of understanding makes it easier for rogue operators putting public safety at risk
- different interpretations lead to varying requirements across the country

Hackney carriage and private hire vehicles are a vital and integral part of the transport network in the UK with:

- an estimated 600 million journeys in Great Britain each year
- most commonly used by younger people, those on lower incomes without access to cars, and women between the ages of 16 and 20
- an estimated 69,000 taxis licensed in England in 2007*
over 264,000 individuals hold drivers licences issued by local licensing authorities in England and Wales *

*source - Department for Transport

The consultation seeks views on whether reform of the law could benefit the provision of taxi services through:

- eliminating inconsistencies between licensing authorities in the application of outdated legislation
- removing outdated practices and controls which stifle economic development and competition
- enhancing public protection and safety by virtue of a simplified system of regulation
- promoting the environmental impact of sustainable transport
recognising and embedding licensed vehicles as part of the national public transport infrastructure
- reducing the administrative burden on licence holders and licensing authorities
- providing a better structured and more understandable framework

Institute President, James Button said '"Hackney carriages and private hire vehicles are used by thousands of people every day, from every walk of life, for essential journeys, business and pleasure.

Unfortunately, due to the archaic laws that regulate their activity there are wide differences in standards across England and Wales, and plenty of loopholes which provide opportunities for the unscrupulous and pitfalls for the unwary. These can potentially put passengers, drivers and the general public at risk.

This consultation seeks views from everyone who has any interest in taxis. It asks questions covering understanding of existing law, seeks views on whether change is necessary and asks what changes would benefit users, the trade and regulators.

This is the first consultation of this type to include the public as users in addition to the hackney carriage and private hire trade and the regulators."

The consultation period runs until 31 March 2010 and will be conducted via an online survey which can be found at: http://www.instituteoflicensing.org/taxireform.html

About the Institute

The Institute of Licensing is the professional body for public and private sector licensing practitioners involved in regulatory work such as alcohol and gambling, street trading and charity collections, and taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. It is a company limited by guarantee and a registered charity.

GMB Professional Drivers Section Supporting Taxi & Private Hire Drivers Nationwide