Wakefield taxi driver protest halted after West Yorkshire Police say organisers could face £10,000 lockdown fines

Local cabbies had planned to protest outside the Wakefield One building on Burton Street on Tuesday, November 10, following a row with the council over new vehicle rules.

The Wakefield Drivers Association (WDA), who organised the demonstration, had initially said they believed it would be legal because taxi drivers are key workers and they insisted it would be carried out in a socially distanced manner.

But police said organisers would risk being slapped with a £10,000 fine if it went ahead as planned.

The WDA now plans to hold the rally next month after lockdown restrictions are lifted again.

A spokesman for the association said they "didn't want to risk breaking the law", but said the event had been postponed rather than cancelled.

A number of drivers are at odds with the local authority, who want cabbies to switch to new low-emission vehicles by March.

The drivers say many of them are unable to afford the cost of doing so after the trade was badly affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Local Democracy Reporting Service