The Council welcomes contributions from members of the public.
Statements
If you would like to make a statement at this meeting on any item on this agenda, please register to do so at least 10 minutes prior to the meeting. Up to 3 speakers are permitted to speak for up to 3 minutes each on any agenda item. Please contact the officer named on the front of the agenda for any further clarification.
Questions
To receive any questions from members of the public or members of the Council received in accordance with the constitution.
Those wishing to ask questions are required to give notice of any such questions in writing to the officer named on the front of this agenda no later than 5pm on Monday 25 November 2019 in order to be guaranteed of a written response. In order to receive a verbal response questions must be submitted no later than 5pm on Wednesday 27 November 2019. Please contact the officer named on the front of this agenda for further advice. Questions may be asked without notice if the Chairman decides that the matter is urgent.
Details of any questions received will be circulated to Committee members prior to the meeting and made available at the meeting and on the Council’s website.
Minutes:
No questions had been submitted to the Committee from the public prior to the meeting. There were three members of the public present who wished to make statements in relation to the ensuing discussions for taxi tariffs and provision, particularly in Salisbury.
Statement from Mr Robert Martin-Logue
I work in the city as part of the late-night economy – I am part of a security team and Pubwatch and Purple Flag.
We have had a few issues with the taxi prices in Salisbury. We rely on taxis to be proactive and to get people home safely. We get complaints reported to us and I am aware that 3 young Royal Welsh soldiers couldn’t get a taxi back to Tidworth for less than £120. They were then taking the decision to walk home instead. We don’t want this to be an option and are very concerned about the potential for accidents with people walking home instead. Are we really penny pinching for sake of lives?
I have compared the cost of taxi journeys and one elsewhere in Portsmouth was a 2.5-mile journey costing £13 whilst a one-way journey of 4 miles in Salisbury cost £27.50. These are both cities with a student life and it is concerning that we are ramping up price and forcing people to make decision about travel home and in some cases deciding to walk. Salisbury are looking to rebuild the city after the Novichok attacks – we have young women choosing to walk home. Another example is that a taxi journey was refused as it was too short and was told by a taxi driver that it was not worth it.
I have certain concerns for our young people in city – I work with young people and I know money is tight. Some of our staff are young and they struggle to get home – it can cost them 2 hours of their wages to be taken home. We can ask taxis to limit their prices, but another issue is the availability of taxis working. We urge you to consider your grandchildren how are they getting home at night – they are walking dark roads for sake of money to travel home – we are not comparable to any other city – I am very concerned about the safety of young people at weekends.
The Chairman commented that the taxi trade is a business and it is up to them whether they accept a journey. The Council are undertaking more enforcement to ensure that the drivers are compliant. The transport in the city is not just the sole duty of taxis. We have discussed with the Salisbury BID and would welcome to work with the military to see if they could assist with the provision of transport for the late-night economy. Many of the points the speaker has raised will be updated/responded to by Officers later in the meeting.
Statement from Brendan Jeynes
I am a representative on Pubwatch and been working in the late-night economy for nearly 30 years. The tariffs changed a few years ago and we have seen the impact. The biggest impact is on the local economy. On a Thursday we used to have 10/15 taxis now we are down to 1. It is disproportionate to what is going on in other cities. We seem to hike our prices up more than anyone else. Taxi drivers themselves are saying it is disproportionate.
I saw two Inspectors last Thursday and there was one taxi outside – there were not enough taxi drivers to talk to!! This has affected the whole of evening economy – a few bars have closed. We have reduced our staff from 6/7 door staff down to 1. We used to have 600/700 people coming in that we rely on but there is no point employing staff if there are no customers. We are arguing that taxis should be the same as the others and not charging more – it is affecting my business. The taxis are not earning so there is no justification why there is a hike to tariff 3. This was the first time I have seen Inspectors in Salisbury in 22 years. I approached them and informed them that it was a waste of time to come out on a Thursday. They said they will come back at a later date. I feel there are a lot of unscrupulous drivers charging too much and there should be a way for people to complain.
The Chairman commented to the speaker that the tariffs in Salisbury hadn’t changed and it was in 2015 when the other areas in Wiltshire came up to the tariffs charged by Salisbury. At that time there were others that wanted to the tariff prices to go up more. Taxi operators make business decisions and the use of the tariff is purely for the rank – if they are not on rank driver can chose/agree what to do a trip for.
Statement from Robin McGowan
I represent businesses in the city centre. The taxi trade is not represented by the BID and we work to improve the future of town centres and impact of vibrancy. We make a lot of effort and work into improving the evening economy. The traditional 9-5 day is shifting, and we are working with the Wiltshire Council Economic Development Team following the massive impact the Novichok incident had on the night time businesses in Salisbury. The challenge is how to engage in BID to get correct information as to impact on business and how they get home – does it deter coming out? Lot of desire to support military basing but concern not being spent in County.
The Chairman commented that Wiltshire Council are committed to the taxi trade and want to work with you in Salisbury! He thanked the three gentlemen for attending and for their statements.