wolverhampton council taxi complaints

But it added: "We are currently developing a referral mechanism that would inform, in writing, all the relevant safeguarding, policing and licensing authorities in an area when we take action in relation to a driver licensed by us, but operating in their area.". Wolverhampton Council, Simple! <> ( Yours faithfully The vehicle proprietor must be registered with the Information Commissioner's Current guidelines allow councils to set their own driver standards, including whether to make the checks. the author immediately by replying to this email. The first is an enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, which includes a check on the children and vulnerable adults barred list. Private hire drivers have been accused of sex crimes over 150 miles away from where they are licensed, Taxi drivers have held protests around the country over cross-border hiring, Taxi drivers in Wolverhampton say they have been protesting about the issue for years. We use the DBS Update Service to check drivers DBS certificates every day of the week. If you are not the intended recipient, an addressing or transmission error ( When we receive a complaint, if the problem is something we can put right straight away, we will. In the last year, we have covered: These operations are conducted in partnership with officers from the respective licensing authority, as well as the local police force and representatives from the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA). Would you be willing to provide a witness statement? please follow the link to Wolverhampton City Council Taxi Licensing. The report noted there had been a decline in the number of private hire drivers nationally since 2020, possibly, it said, because drivers had left the industry after seeing a loss of trade during the Covid-19 pandemic. 3 0 obj and a limited company (03277032). EP Governance SocietyWorks Ltd endobj Police were informed in all cases, it said. Putting things right Complaints process Other options Wolverhampton then made it very easy to get licenced there, issued tens of thousands of licences for a population of 260,000 and therefore made the standards of private hire taxis slip in the whole country malcster_75 8 mo. "In terms of my experience working on the front line and from working in some cases, there are some drivers that are predatory. ( 2000andwe aim to senda response by4 December 2019. View as HTML. A new report to Walsalls director of public health has outlined concerns over dwindling application numbers. Freedom of Information Act 2000 This includes when drivers are operating outside of Wolverhampton, where drivers are expected to co-operate with reasonable requests from compliance staff authorised in other areas. Across the weekend (Friday 18 December and Saturday 19 December), 27 taxi drivers were issued with enforcement action, including defect notices or suspension of licenses. Wolverhampton City Council Taxi Licensing. "What is really important is that we make sure we bring the taxi drivers in on this. We will inform youif this is It is only after these checks have been satisfied that an applicant can become a licensed driver. Thank you for your request for information that was received on6 November L thompson made this Freedom of Information request to Wolverhampton City Council Taxi drivers and council colleagues say farewell to Elaine Moreton (centre) who is retiring at the age of 75 after 39 years' service. However, there remains no official system of ensuring all authorities are aware of suspected criminal activity, although the council "refutes any accusation" of failing to pass on details. Customer Engagement Officer The application fee for a New Private Hire Driver licence is 64.00 for a 1 year licence or 120.00 for a 3 year licence and must be paid electronically as part of this application process. 13 Birmingham pubs named after royalty - but are they celebrating the Kings Coronation Weekend? As such, the Council considers those applications and where the applicant is fit and proper, a licence is granted. Further information about the vehicles and drivers licensed for South Staffordshire are available on ourInformation for Passengers page. Where there are concerns about applicants suspected of involvement in historic child sex exploitation investigations, further vetting is undertaken by the National Crime Agency (NCA). Taxi and Private Hire licensing within South Staffordshire is administrated on behalf of the Council by the City of Wolverhampton Council's Licensing team from April 2022. We couldnt load the mail server logs for this message. 4 0 obj Complaints . all of the information you have requested. services through our wholly owned subsidiary 2023 BBC. Wolverhampton licensing bosses have insisted they informed relevant authorities when serious reports of crimes were made, but several councils have told the BBC they were unaware of the allegations. Freedom of Information Act 2000 ( This week, the government said it was tightening taxi safety guidelines and considering stopping drivers from operating hundreds of miles away from where they were licensed. @RRQE%0(JZ (QE We provide commercial The situation has led to a chaotic picture emerging around the country, with authorities unable to control all cabbies working in their area. the use of this email or attachments. stream In the last financial year, the city registered an extra 7,428 drivers, taking the total with a Wolverhampton licence to 26,745. which may be legally privileged and/or subject to the provisions of Explore in 3D: The dazzling crown that makes a king. It's quick, easy and (best of all) it's free. Wolverhampton City Council, Download a zip file of all correspondence, Children and adults removed by social services due to poor housing conditions, Correspondence between UBER BRITANNIA LIMITED and Wolverhampton City Council. Printed from https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/taxi_complaints_4?unfold=1 on May 02, 2023 00:03. xUMo0#HMH,mQ-Uki66>X{o<3n|uYK6+m endobj In that year a change in the law allowed private hire drivers to operate in a different area from where they obtained a licence. Before April 2015, there. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. endstream ( "They will know for example, that the children live together in residential care homes and become friendly with them, and quite easily take advantage of a particular vulnerability by being approachable by offering a sense of fulfilment to that child by offering things that are perceived to be quite adult or responsible such as alcohol, drugs and gifts, and begin grooming them that way before abusing them.". This condition empowers officers in other areas and where drivers are breaking the law then other licensing authorities can and do prosecute them. The purpose of the witness statement is to provide written evidence to support a complaint that will, if necessary, be used as evidence in court. send you a fee notice and we will require you to pay the fee before [1][Wolverhampton City Council request email] Before becoming a driver,. i90#?WHB CH 7:+ 6YgY]BPU8q-HG-b%+aK`y=DUFB%2)x$T'oSz+! Once a driver is granted, we continue to monitor them. Keep all your correspondence in one place, Go straight to the correct contact point within an organisation, Make use of a series of simple templates to help make raising your complaint as simple and quick as possible, Receive reminders when you get a response from a company or organisation, Get an automatic notification when it's appropriate to escalate your case to the next management level within a company, Package up and send off the whole history of your complaint to an ombudsman or other regulatory body if necessary. Any views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender, The licensing authority has been made aware of complaints against drivers via police, other councils and by passengers themselves. Please notify I understand they may feel like they're being unfairly targeted but you know this is about protecting children and protecting drivers' business reputation.". The authoritys total income from private hire and Hackney Carriage licensing was 157,482. Established in 2008. Are you the owner of any commercial copyright on this page? Taxi drivers 'missing out on Covid . View as HTML. Download Get started. Where complaints are made, the Council has a key performance indicator (KPI) for all complaints involving safeguarding concerns to be investigated within one day. It is intended solely for the addressee. This email has been scanned for all viruses and all reasonable precautions ( Where a matching record is found, information is requested from the licensing authority and a licence will not be granted until this information is considered. City of Wolverhampton Council licensed Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles are referred to collectively as 'taxis' in this policy. ( "We would like to see a return of standards so that public safety is not put at risk.". ofWolverhampton Council . Did this woman die because her genitals were cut? We provide commercial The Council has never refused a request from a licensing authority for a compliance operation in their area. Read about our approach to external linking. Learn more about Resolver Pro and how to claim your business. In response to your request, please see attached our response to your Taxi drivers protesting in Wolverhampton last year over the city council's controversial licensing system. ( Our reference: 926105, --------------------------------------------------------------------------. Taxi complaints Wolverhampton City Council. w !1AQaq"2B #3Rbr The customer had been provided with a business card containing Ayubs personal phone number and she told him she had set up her own business. The data was provided in a Freedom of Information request. SocietyWorks Ltd Established in 2008. 7 0 obj The report made furthest from the West Midlands city came from a complainant more than 150 miles away. Resolver is a completely free complaint-resolution tool that puts the British consumer directly in touch with the customer service providers who can resolve their complaint. "The first thing to say is that the majority of taxi drivers out there are working hard to make a living and are trained to actually help vulnerable people," said Phil Ashford, from the National Working Group (NWG) for tackling child sexual exploitation. is a registered charity in England and Wales (1076346) ( ( It showed that in 2019 a total of 11,461 applications to Wolverhampton Council came from drivers based in Birmingham, while there were 2,457 from Manchester, 1,926 from Coventry, 1,279 from Leicester, 1,102 from Nottingham and 432 from Telford. <> To apply/renew your driver or vehicle licence follow the links below. (05798215). ( the author immediately by replying to this email. Number of Private hire taxi operators who have breached their operators licence conditions including name of operator and details of breaches from 2017 -2019, Information request Run by Volunteers and powered by Alaveteli. <> C " The topic of taxi safety comes after the case of "black cab rapist" John Worboys, who police believe may have carried out more than 100 rapes and sexual assaults on women he picked up in London between 2002 and 2008. Any breach of this condition would be looked on most unfavourably: 3.9 A private hire licence is a badge of approval, it states the Local Authority feels the holder is fit and proper and suitable in every way. ( J^h'K~s@sIMJZJ)( ZLP J;i Pi(KBR :J((ZJ(RRQE QE Q@ )))hEPEPRI@Rs@)ii(z ( request. )(((h(QE By providing you with all the tools and contact details needed to raise and manage your complaint, we put you firmly in control of your issue. Printed from https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/taxi_complaints_5 on May 02, 2023 00:03. Over the same period Wolverhampton Council had 1,018 applications from private hire drivers based in Walsall. A total of 927 drivers were said to be waiting for a hearing to determine their application. to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office. ( ^PER`QE 'Downloads' section of the Council's Taxi Licences webpage). Your donations keep this site and others like it running. Public safety is paramount and we are constantly working to improve our processes to protect people. ( This email has been scanned for all viruses and all reasonable precautions ( DearL Thompson "I was sitting in the back of the taxi and he put his hand on my knee". The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Predators can use relaxed rules to become taxi drivers and gain access to vulnerable passengers, a victim's charity said. Placing members of the public at unnecessary risk by taking a booking without valid insurance is unacceptable.. ago In Wolverhampton they can use older taxis That's the main reason 13 blake-a-mania 8 mo. The request was refused by Wolverhampton City Council. Some drivers may have taken on related work as delivery drivers, the report added. n)=_} bRqHCD@[WP,=|B2Ho|Sc$+! Complaints about taxi drivers. endobj Before becoming a driver, there are several requirements that must be met. Donate and support our work. The court heard that Ayub frequently carried the passenger without their journeys being pre-booked through a licensed private hire vehicle operator which is illegal and contrary to Section 45 of the Town Police Clauses Act 1847. services through our wholly owned subsidiary The vehicle is then checked in person by our trained vehicle inspectors. He backed plans for a government review into licensing, saying it should "bring it up-to-date and to create a regime that is fit for the 21st Century". ( Taxi and Private Hire licensing within South Staffordshire is administrated on behalf of the Council by the City of Wolverhampton Council's Licensing team from April 2022. . . If you need to book a wheelchair accessible vehicle this is a list of thecurrent licensed providers. Where there are motoring convictions, these are also considered against the Councils guidelines. The delegation was agreed by the district authority's cabinet on. Wolverhampton Council launched The Additional Restriction Grant - Taxi and Private Hire Grant Scheme to help drivers across the city. disseminate the information contained within this e-mail. South Staffordshire Council is handing over taxi and private hire licensing functions to Wolverhampton Council (CWC). (05798215). endobj (QA!EPEPEPES ) QE QE Reports of child sexual exploitation are among allegations made against drivers licensed in Wolverhampton, but who also operate across England. <>/XObject<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageB/ImageC/ImageI] >>/MediaBox[ 0 0 594.96 842.04] /Contents 4 0 R/StructParents 0>> Subscribe to our newsletter to get the day's top stories sent directly to you. Please provide your details so we can keep you informed on the outcome of the complaint you wish to raise. ( You can be certain that youre talking to the right person at the right time. Wolverhampton Council has cornered the market, but you have to question whether it is right that a driver can get a licence there but ply their trade hundreds of miles away, he said. We willcarry outan assessment Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? except where the sender specifically states these to be the views However, if you'd rather complain directly, you can use the above address to contact Wolverhampton City Council. Wolverhampton Council They will investigate your complaint and respond to you direct. "At the moment, some drivers can take advantage of a loophole where they can apply to get a licence in an authority that has less stringent assessments and ply their trade in an area which does. We are dealing with yourrequestunder theFreedom of Information Act Yours faithfully, WhatDoTheyKnow also publishes and archives requests and responses, building a massive archive of information. Papers found the situation had emerged since the government in 2015 ruled drivers could register anywhere in the country, not just their local area. This email contains proprietary confidential information some or all of TheFreedom of Information Act 2000may restrict the release of some or ( ( Resolver is a completely free complaint-resolution tool that puts the British consumer directly in touch with the customer service providers who can resolve their complaint. Six of the drivers in the CSE reports had their licences taken from them but the seventh complaint was not upheld. Write to our Complaints Manager, City of Wolverhampton Council, Civic Centre, St Peter's Square, Wolverhampton, WV1 1RL Ask a friend, a relative, advocate or anyone to contact us your behalf Make sure you give us as much information as possible. have been taken to ensure that no viruses are present. 9 0 obj (Q@Q@QL(EPE% QKI@-%G4s@ %/4sHhy9 94 ) - QG4 sAE- !()hhJ'zVP(g -%(?i ))QCRPE RQHaEPE%- QI@E)i)hQEQE !BQKE u'49hbm8h! PQ[PKE))h4 QEIK@QZJ )h@ E-% - RPQE -PEPEPEPEPEPHih( (( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ((JZ@QE QE H9@ %/4sI@ E- QE% QK@ EP0(QE(QE QE %-S ) QE RQFhi)i( (E4hz ?hh 94P JZ(4 i(9(E -'4G4:9CG4 RJ) JB1E RP~( IE(ABQE ( ( <> If you hold a current Driver or Vehicle Licence with City of Wolverhampton Council, you will need to register with the "My Licence Portal" to inform of arrests, cautions, charges, convictions and Fixed Penalties as part of your conditions of licence. Less teenagers have meningitis protection since before pandemic, Coronation uproar as Birmingham residents react to allegiance pledge with everyone saying same thing, A new independent pizza restaurant is coming to Harborne & its giving away free pizzas, More than 20,000 Russians dead in Bakhmut, US says, Rita Ora and Karlie Kloss arrive at the Met Gala, France May Day protests leave dozens of police injured. J)h )(h (%-PHii(cRHR})sG4sE J`(4QH((EPEPEPEPEPEPEPEPEP2Q[)R Want to help others get their issues sorted fast or see the latest updates about how Resolver can help you? ( 13 Birmingham pubs named after royalty - but are they celebrating the Kings Coronation Weekend? NOTE: Please do not edit the subject line when replying to this email. The city council added it had been at the forefront of calls for a national database of drivers. Wolverhampton Council currently operates a Get Home Safe campaign which seeks to make sure the public are aware of the differences between hiring hackney carriages and private hire vehicles. (JaIKE9R@J_sMjJ ZJU%0 We couldnt load the mail server logs for this message. It prompted licensing bosses at Wolverhampton Council to streamline its application process and slash the prices of licences leading to a dramatic increase in applications. If the applicant is renewing their licence or has held the same licence within the last 12 months, they must provide an HMRC Tax Check code to show that they registered to pay tax. %&'()*456789:CDEFGHIJSTUVWXYZcdefghijstuvwxyz "Since 2015 I know that there have been more complaints over sexual harassment, accidents in taxis and illegal pick-ups, all different things have been going on. Our reference: 1386425, Response all information to be supplied.pdf, 96K (Q@QH((((((((aEP2Sk`(= and a limited company (03277032). endobj JZ(99(J ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ( ((EPEPER(96 which may be legally privileged and/or subject to the provisions of Under the plans, those with specific previous convictions would face minimum bans "in all but truly exceptional circumstances". At the end of the training programme, there is a written assessment. If you are not the intended recipient, an addressing or transmission error His contribution to the debate is welcomed as much as anybody's.". ( It is examining a range of proposals, including making taxi and private hire. Wolverhampton Council, Fears have been raised drivers are "shopping around" to find the easiest way to obtain a licence. uKIJ( (C %Z %( _(4 PR@%PK ( A Ministry of Transport (MOT) certificate dated no more than 10 days prior to the application date must also be provided. He added there should be a cap on the number of drivers that can be licensed by one authority as it would lead to a "safer and more robust system". Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Applicants are also required to disclose any previous licensing history. Thank you for your request for information received on6 November The Council is 100% compliant with this KPI. proceeding with your request. Then like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. Contact us if you think it should be reopened. It currently has 4,461 drivers licensed. Resolver is not affiliated to, linked with or otherwise endorsed by Wolverhampton City Council. A driver working in Southampton when a serious sexual allegation was made against him in October 2017, A Wolverhampton taxi driver accused of being involved in child sexual exploitation on 16 June 2017 in Bolsover, Derbyshire, A serious sexual allegation recorded as taking place in Mansfield, more than 70 miles away, on 3 October 2016, One allegation of CSE made in Shropshire in January 2018 along with two other serious sexual allegations in 2017, In Telford, where authorities have dealt with. The driver can only undertake work in a vehicle licensed by City of Wolverhampton Council. requested for any other reason together with the reason(s) why and details City of Wolverhampton Council licensed Hackney Carriages and Private Hire . ( Taxi and cab drivers have staged go-slow protests against the current regulations around the country, saying they leave the public at risk. Customer Engagement Officer ( ( She then more than doubled the price for the uninsured journey. ( The guidelines have been benchmarked against the Institute of Licensings Guidance and the Governments Statutory Standards and in both documents cases, the Councils rehabilitation periods are longer. The Council also considers whether the complaints against the driver necessitate consideration by the Disclosure and Barring Service for the former driver to be added to the children and/or vulnerable adults barred lists. list by name and contact details of private hire vehicle operators licensed to/by Wolverhampton council 2020 Its quick, easy and totally free. A Wolverhampton private hire driver who overcharged a customer, while taking her on an uninsured journey that wasn't pre-booked, has had her licence revoked. 2023 BBC. ( City of Wolverhampton Council said it prioritised local taxi driver applications. On April 29, 2020, council officers received a complaint that Ayub, aged 25, had picked up a passenger who had not pre-booked, which is a requirement of both her private hire licence and car insurance policy. This request has been closed to new correspondence. Ebrahim Suleman, former chairman of West Midlands Private Hire Drivers Association, said "99.9% of drivers" were honest and hard working but a minority used loopholes to get a licence. Every council in England would be told to carry out checks on all applicants. Your donations keep this site and others like it running. Subscribe to our newsletter to get the day's top stories sent directly to you. Dear Wolverhampton City Council, Number of Private hire taxi operators who have breached their operators licence conditions including name of operator and details of breaches from 2017 -2019 . You therefore need a debit or credit card to make the payment.. You must also complete a DBS application (Criminal Records Check) and provide a DVLA three . ( It is a criminal offence for people on barred lists to apply to work in a regulated activity and offenders are reported to the police. Once a statement is provided you may be asked to give evidence in court. This policy relates to surveillance cameras, also. Instead, theyre full of the info you need to get things sorted. Taxi complaints. [1][Wolverhampton City Council request email] have been taken to ensure that no viruses are present. "There have been several consultations about the private hire trade and he appears to be playing catch up. Established taxi drivers in Wolverhampton have previously protested over what they said was a fall in standards since the Deregulation Act was introduced. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. ( None of the councils for the areas where offences were alleged could confirm whether they had been made aware of the suspect driver operating in their area. The authority said it dealt with complaints robustly, with all safeguarding issues dealt with within a day "regardless of where the driver is in the country". Navdeep Nijjar Weve helped millions of people find a resolution. the use of this email or attachments. On Tuesday, the Department for Transport announced new proposals for taxi and private hire drivers to have to pass enhanced criminal record checks before being granted a licence. A total of 170 taxis were inspected by our dedicated Roads Policing Unit, in line with COVID and road safety regulations. ( Consumer guides, newsletters, surveys and more! The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. %PDF-1.7 ( (@QE 2 0 obj The campaign also highlights the risks involved in taking an unlicensed vehicle and how to identify a legitimate taxi or private hire driver. privacy legislation. The BBC has learned there have been seven allegations of child sexual exploitation (CSE) made, and 16 serious sexual allegations against drivers licensed in Wolverhampton. NihsG4sG499 99 99 J)y JZ)( (QE Let us know what you think has gone wrong and how you think we can correct it. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. If not, we will refer your complaint to the manager responsible for the service you're unhappy with. Slower processing times and higher fees elsewhere had encouraged many drivers to choose Wolverhampton. All rights reserved. P(j _JZm(AI OJ)i(QEZJZ %zQ@-% QI@PIKE %Q@ QKE %Q@Q@IE QE Rw(A((((((((((((EPEPER9(4sKI !PEPIKE %- QE Q@(AEP ( ( ( ( ( J ( QZ((G4 !h % QE @sG4 QKI@4sG=> GKu H( EJ)i(RQ@Q@y KE( ()(C This training is only available in English and covers the following: This syllabus is regularly reviewed, including with the Local Authority Designated Officer (LADO) and Partnership Strategic Exploitation Co-ordinator. Follow BBC West Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, and sign up for local news updates direct to your phone. ( 2023 Resolver Consumer Online Limited. Is climate change killing Australian wine? VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. Read about our approach to external linking. <> This may only be completed by a General Medical Council (GMC) registered practitioner. In one instance, a council officer drove more than 100 miles to a suspect driver's home and "took his licence away from him on his doorstep". As of the middle of last month, there were 2,634 applications in the queue, with 1,924 processed but awaiting more information from the applicant. mySociety ( Public safety is paramount and we are constantly working to improve our processes to protect people. ( It has granted 35,035 private hire licences since 2017, pumping 8.7m into the authoritys coffers. Any views expressed in this email are those of the individual sender, Applications from Kilmarnock, Edinburgh, Perth and Kirkcaldy were received by Wolverhampton Council last year, as the authority granted 15,171 licences to extend its dominance over the British private hire market. Change of Address. The council report also stated its licensing team prioritised drivers in its own area and had taken on 20 extra staff in the last year to deal with the volume of applications, with plans to appoint more. Get started now and lets get this sorted. 5 0 obj Is climate change killing Australian wine? ( A Freedom of Information request found Wolverhampton Council had handed out 15,000 private hire licences in 2019, bringing in nearly 3.7m in fees. Navdeep Nijjar Wolverhampton Council hands out 15,000 taxi licences in one year to drivers across UK By Peter Madeley Wolverhampton Transport Published: Jan 10, 2020 Comments Wolverhampton Council. But only a small fraction of the new licence holders are operating in the city, with some drivers working hundreds of miles away in Scotland. Wolverhampton Council has always defended its position, stating that it oversees enforcement operations all over the country, and that any profits it makes from licensing are ploughed back into the scheme. (PE QE Q@ EPEPEPEPQGE Q J( To pay your Parking and Bus Lane Penalty Charge Notices online you will need: your Parking and Bus Lane Penalty Charge Notices reference number your debit or credit card details Account details. (Q@%- QI@EP'4s@. By providing you with all the tools and contact details needed to raise and manage your complaint, we put you firmly in control of your issue. Drivers must have held a UK driving licence for at least one year and this licence is checked as part of the application process.

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