TAXI drivers in Barnsley will be forced to have CCTV recording equipment in their vehicles before the end of 2018 to improve safety for customers.
It’s the latest step set to be taken by the council’s licensing board as part of a clampdown on unlicensed cabs who are not permitted to ply for trade in the town.
Councils will also share information on their registered drivers to prevent them from crossing boundaries and encroaching on other taxi patches.
The board discussed the case of 31-year-old Yasser Hussain, of Aldred Street, Rotherham, at last month’s meeting after the driver was reported for picking up a customer from Eldon Street, Barnsley, in January.
Hussain’s Sheffield-based licence prohibited him from picking up any customers from Barnsley town centre who had not pre-booked and although he denied the offence, he was found guilty and fined £150, ordered to pay court costs of £500 and a £30 victim surcharge at Barnsley Magistrates’ Court.
“The new database will allow councils to record details of where a licence has been refused, revoked or suspended as well as to check new applications against the database,” a council report said.
“This will help prevent individuals deemed to be not fit and proper in one area from going to another and securing a licence by not disclosing their previous refusal or revocation - something that undermines public safety and confidence in the licensing regime and the authorities that administer it.”
The Local Government Association (LGA) is set to produce guidance on taxis’ CCTV for authorities to adhere to, which is expected to be revealed next month, and Barnsley Council has set its sights on moving quickly to have cameras fitted by the end of the year.
The council report added: “A cabinet decision was made last autumn to approve the licensing team to put together a business case for the mandatory introduction of CCTV in all licensed vehicles.
“Officers carried out initial research into the subject and became aware that the Local Government Association was working on the production of guidance on this issue for local authorities.
“Therefore, the decision was made to delay work in this area until the national guidance had been published so that implementation could be in line with the guidance.
“The provision of national guidance will aid implementation of CCTV in taxis in Barnsley, and will ensure that we have the strongest possible case for progressing it as quickly as possible, hopefully by the end of 2018.”
A series of enforcement operations - which took place around the town centre on December 20 last year and January 18 - resulted in 11 out of 51 drivers being issued with immediate suspension notices due to dashboard warning lights, illegal tyres and faulty lights.
“Vehicle failure rates were at an unacceptable level and it was important that operators, vehicle proprietors and drivers accepted responsibility for their failures to make a change,” Coun Charlie Wraith, chairman of the licensing board, said.
“To not do so could potentially put the safety of the travelling public at risk. Council officers have done some excellent work and we think having CCTV made mandatory for taxis will again boost safety.”
