Leeds taxi strike over 'draconian' new licence rules

Taxi drivers protested outside Leeds Civic Hall on Sunday

Hundreds of taxi drivers in Leeds have gone on strike over plans to revoke their licences if they get six or more penalty points in a year.

Industrial action by Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation began at 06:00 and is due to run until 06:00 on Tuesday.

Drivers argue the policy, due to start next month, is "too draconian".

Leeds City Council, which currently suspends or revokes a licence if a driver accrues 12 or more points, says the change will "improve safety".

Under new policy a driver who receives six or more points in a year will be suspended for three years

Zahid Mahmood from the Leeds Private Hire Drivers Organisation (LHPDO) said the plans would "make it very, very hard to get a licence in the first place".

"They're already 700 drivers short in Leeds at the moment," he said.

"With this policy coming in you're going to have more and more drivers being suspended, so when demand increases and life goes back to normal the demand will be there but there won't be any private hire drives left, or even Hackney drivers, if this policy continues."

Leeds City Council deputy leader and executive member for resources Councillor Debra Coupar said it was working on measures to minimise the disruption caused by the strike "especially for vulnerable adults and children as much as we can".

"We would ask the LPHDO to reconsider their planned action, and continue their dialogue with us over the proposed accumulation of minor motoring convictions criterion of the suitability policy in order to achieve a positive outcome for all parties," she added.

The 24-hour strike comes after drivers demonstrated outside Leeds Civic Hall on Sunday.