Labour kick Taxi lottery plans into the long grass

6.15.00pm GMT Tue 9th Mar 2010

John Commons: "Labour's plans throw the baby out with the bathwater"

Liberal Democrat Licensing spokesperson Cllr John Commons has learnt from Council Officers that controversial plans to introduced a "lottery" system for allocating Hackney Licenses are to be shelved until after the General Election. He contacted them when the report failed to appear on next Monday's Licensing Committee Agenda

Cllr Commons said today,

"This is typical Labour. They are getting a lot of heat on this, so it has been kicked into the long grass until after May."

After an Industrial Tribunal upheld a complaint by a woman refused a license, the Council's legal officers have said that the current system must change as it discriminates against women, who hold just 2-3% of the current Hackney Licenses.

Cllr Commons has consistently proposed a hybrid system, mixing a random element with the current waiting list system, amended to take into account maternity leave. This was voted down at the last committee.

Cllr Commons added,

"The current plans throw the baby out with the bathwater. My hybrid scheme finds a middle ground that clearly doesn't discriminate and takes into account our legal advice."

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