West Northamptonshire taxi rules approved despite 'racist' claims

Drivers protested outside the licensing committee meeting at Northampton Guildhall

Controversial new rules for taxi drivers have been voted through despite claims the policy is racist.

The regulations were agreed by West Northamptonshire councillors.

Drivers must produce a so-called certificate of good conduct which means providing documents from every country they have lived in for more than six months, which a union has described as "racist".

The council said the new policy aimed to "improve safety".

Hundreds of people attended a protest outside the council licensing committee meeting on Tuesday evening, and one driver said the policy was "created to penalise us".

Dress code

The initial proposal in October was deferred to give committee members more time to consider a consultation response from the trade.

At the previous meeting, the App Drivers and Couriers Union (ADCU) accused the council of drafting "racist" and "regressive" regulations.

As well as the certificate of good conduct, the new Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Licensing Policy 2023 would impose a penalty points system.

Breaches include failure to comply with the dress code, not offering reasonable assistance with luggage, and turning up late to a booking without proper reason.

Mohamed Dogan, a driver who joined the protest, said he was "extremely worried" about the regulations

If a driver collects more than 12 penalty points over 12 months, their licence may be revoked or suspended with immediate effect.

Mohamed Dogan, a taxi driver at the protest, said he was "extremely worried" about the implications of the new regulations.

He added: "We have to be careful all the time. I have a family to support - I've been doing taxi driving for 18 years and we never had a problem. This policy is created to penalise us."

Shafqat Shah from the union, ADCU, is asking drivers whether they want more strike action

The ADCU says it is consulting drivers on whether they want to take industrial action.

Northampton chair of the ADCU, Shafqat Shah, previously said the union had been "held to ransom" by the council and that drivers were "unfairly targeted".

The council insisted that the policy was not "designed or intended to be punitive" and the main aim was to "improve safety" and provide the "best possible service to the public".

The policy is due to take effect from 1 April.