Taxi drivers plan city centre demonstration outside Wakefield One building as row with council deepens

Taxi drivers are planning to hold a demonstration in Wakefield next week, as long-running tensions with the council intensify.
The Wakefield Drivers Association (WDA) says many of its members are unable to afford a switch to new low-emission vehicles because of the impact Covid has had on the trade.The Wakefield Drivers Association (WDA) says many of its members are unable to afford a switch to new low-emission vehicles because of the impact Covid has had on the trade.
The Wakefield Drivers Association (WDA) says many of its members are unable to afford a switch to new low-emission vehicles because of the impact Covid has had on the trade.

Members of the Wakefield Drivers Association (WDA) say they will protest in a socially distanced manner outside the Wakefield One building on Burton Street in the city centre next Tuesday at 11am.

Cabbies are at odds with the council over a number of issues, including the local authority's demand they switch to new low-emission vehicles by the end of next March.

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The WDA says that would put drivers £10,000 out of pocket because of the cost of the new cars, and are arguing for an extension to the deadline.

WDA spokesman Wajid Ali called for a "common sense approach" from the council and urged the authority to talk to drivers.WDA spokesman Wajid Ali called for a "common sense approach" from the council and urged the authority to talk to drivers.
WDA spokesman Wajid Ali called for a "common sense approach" from the council and urged the authority to talk to drivers.

The council however, has indicated that it's unwilling to talk to the WDA, which was formed earlier this year.

Instead it only recognises a separate and more established organisation, the Wakefield and District Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association, representing local taxi drivers. They are not planning to protest.

WDA spokesman Wajid Ali said: "This pandemic is going to last well into 2021 and many drivers haven't been able to work this year. The year's been a write off for us.

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"The council's asking us to spend £10,000 on changing our vehicles when we haven't got the finances to do that.

Drivers are planning to stand and protest outside the Wakefield One building on Burton Street.Drivers are planning to stand and protest outside the Wakefield One building on Burton Street.
Drivers are planning to stand and protest outside the Wakefield One building on Burton Street.

"All we're asking for is for them to wait until we're back to some kind of normality before they make these changes. It's not going to cost them any money to do that.

"We're just asking them to take a common sense approach.

Mr Ali said the WDA had recruited around 400 members and that as many as 200 could take part in the protest next week.

The council said it was expecting only a "small" number of drivers to turn out.

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Mr Ali added: "We did organise this protest before Boris Johnson announced the new lockdown, but we will still go ahead with it and we will be socially distanced from each other.

"We are frontline key workers and this is part of our job because this is about standing up for our working conditions.

"Drivers are very angry but we'd like to hold out the hand of friendship to the council and reignite some dialogue with them.

"We're not monsters. We're not going to bite. We're mere mortals simply wanting to work like everybody else."

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Relations between the local authority and the trade have been strained for a number of years.

A year ago, cabbies decisively won a lengthy High Court battle against the council's decision to hike the price of a taxi licence fee to cover the costs of running its enforcement team.

And this summer the council was criticised for refusing to allow drivers to put screens up in their own vehicles as a Covid protection measure.

Commenting on the demonstration, the council's service director for communities, Antony Sadler, said: "The council is aware that a small group of drivers are planning to protest.

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"The council meet regularly with the recognised trade association - the Wakefield and District Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Association, who represent a large number of the trade in the district. The Wakefield and District Private Hire Association have no plans to take part in the protest.”

Local Democracy Reporting Service

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