Castlepoint.gov.uk

CASTLE POINT TAXI & PRIVATE HIRE NEWSLETTER
ISSUE NO. 3 of 4
November, 2008
be able to assist by passing on sightings or Joint Meeting between Castle Point Borough
information. It is hoped there will be a two way flow Council Licensing Members, Officers, the Hackney of information and that all will benefit from this
Carriage /Private Hire Trade and Operators
initiative. To facilitate this please make a note of the Held on the 29th August minutes are now on the Castle following contact numbers and mention you are a point web site for viewing. member of Castle Point Taxi Watch when phoning. 07791 680413 –To report intelligence and information
between 8am & 12mn to local officers. Changes to the Dartford Tunnel Crossing
0300 3334444 – To report offences and non-urgent
incidents. Always ask for an incident number/crime The crossing will be free of charge to all vehicles between the hours of 10pm – 6am starting from 10pm 999- As usual for emergencies.
on the 15th November 2008. Any DART tags will Note, at the request of the trade it will not be made register your crossing but your account will not be common knowledge that Taxis Watch exists. It is hoped all involved will benefit by an exchange of information.
Rank Closures
Please note the taxi rank outside Canvey Island
Library will be temporally closed on Saturday 29th
November between 2pm-5pm and Sunday 7th
December between 12 noon – 2pm for Christmas
festivities to take place.
Changes of address
Changes of address must be notified within seven days in writing or by electronic means to the Licensing Unit. Official documents such as vehicle registration, South Orbital Way Dartford DA1 5PR located off the A282 at Junction 1a insurance certificates and driving licences must be presented to the Licensing Unit as soon a reasonably Taxi Watch
Private Hire Bookings
The first meeting of this newly formed group was held All licensed Private Hire vehicles must be pre booked
on 17th September. Further meetings will be held on a
through an operator otherwise passengers are not regular basis. It is intended that some police incidents insured. This could result in the driver committing an of a local nature will be circulated to drivers who may offence and liable to being dealt with at magistrate’s of trained and dedicated advisors help smokers to work together to help each other quit and stay stopped. Private Hire Driver’s renewals
Smokers are set a quit date and the advisors are on Renewals for Private Hire drivers are due on the 1st hand to ease them through the tough withdrawal times. April 2009. Letters and forms will be sent out soon to enable Criminal Record checks to be carried out in Smokers may be referred to the service by their GPs or good time. Castle Point Borough Council now requires may contact the service direct. Once offered a place all drivers to have a DVLA check on their driving on the programme smokers are encouraged to quit with licences to confirm the correct details are held and the aid of Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT), forms will be enclosed for completion. Bupropion SR (Zyban) or Varenicline (Champix) as New photos will be taken during your appointment and prescribed by their GP. full payment will be required. The staff of the Stop Smoking Service are only too Insurance
aware of the strong temptation to smoke again, even Please be reminded it is the drivers responsibility to
after quitting. Anyone who has attended one of the 7- show there is a current certificate of insurance in force week programmes can return to a venue of their choice for their vehicle at all times. Failure to do so could at any time to obtain ongoing support and advice. result in you vehicle being suspended. Also, be aware whilst a vehicle is licensed by Castle Point Borough So, if you’re keen to give up smoking, don’t delay – Council it can only be driven by drivers who are make contact today, and you could be on your way to becoming an ex-smoker within a very short time – there are spaces available on programmes in the near Staff Changes
We have sadly said goodbye to Mandy who has gone to Basildon as their Senior Licensing Officer. The To get started contact the service on 01268 464511 or email Team wish her all the best in her new position. REPORTS OF PRICE FIXING BY PRIVATE
HIRE VEHICLE OPERATORS
We have two new members of staff. Wendy Hickey, who has taken over Jan’s duties as Admin Assistant The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has recently received and Ryan Jevens who is the new Taxi Services several reports that certain private hire vehicle operators Development Officer employed by Essex County may have entered into agreements with their competitors to Council and Based in our office covering the Thames fix prices. In several instances, competitors appear to have agreed on prices on a per mile or minimum journey cost Gateway Quality Taxi Partnership. We all welcome basis. Such conduct would be illegal under the Competition Act 1998. Under that Act, any business found to have participated in an unlawful price-fixing agreement may be fined up to 10 per cent of its total turnover. In addition, the Did you know that there is FREE NHS funded help
Enterprise Act 2002 makes it a criminal offence for an individual dishonestly to take part in a price-fixing available in South Essex? What’s more, this is a agreement or other form of cartel conduct between service with a proven track record – a 60-65% success competing businesses. Anyone convicted of the offence rate! The Stop Smoking Service and their trained
could receive a maximum if five years imprisonment and/or staff have been successfully helping smokers to quit You should not be discussing the prices you charge with your competitors. If you are currently doing this you should The Service runs support programmes over 7 weeks. stop immediately. You are not prevented from changing the Each session lasts approximately 1½ hours and the price of your services, but all your pricing decisions should programmes are available in Benfleet, Rayleigh and be made without discussion with your competitors. If further instances of similar conduct come to our attention, we may take formal enforcement action. For more inform The programmes offer motivational support, addresses If you have any queries, please call OFT Enquiries on nicotine addition and an understanding of the huge 08457 22 44 99.
psychological impact of quitting smoking. The team

Source: http://www.castlepoint.gov.uk/documents/licensing%5Ctaxies%5Cchats%2F18_Taxi_Chat_Nov_08.pdf