To put the record straight, I didn’t say it wasn’t anything to do with Dr Taylor, I said it was nothing to do with the Health Concern District Group!  They (the District Group) have no effect on Health Policy in Wyre Forest, and for them to say otherwise I would suggest is misleading the public.

Health Concerns self appointed District leader says the Tories Supported Fran Oborski over Howard Eeles for the District Rep on the County Health Scrutiny at annual Council.  He is wrong again, as there wasn’t even a contest.  There was no Health Concern Councillor in the meeting to propose Cllr Eeles.  You have to be in the room to make a difference.

It is about time Health Concerns’ District leadership grew up, and took an active part in the Council they were elected to, rather than launching their own ambition to succeed Dr Taylor as a Health Concern Parliamentary candidate.

Petulant - ill-tempered or sulky in a peevish manner (encarta dictionary) as there seems to be a rash of dictionary references........

Dear Sir,

Re:  Taxi Fleet Debate

I write following the letter printed from Mr Trevor Owen on the 31 May 2007, in relation to the above.

Firstly, may I place on record my admiration for the majority of taxi drivers that do a fantastic job of providing a taxi fleet to the residents of Wyre Forest.  I am sure that the majority of residents would recognise that the Taxi Trade is working with the District Council to further improve the taxi service received by the District.

It is important to remember that when the deregulation process was started by the District Council there were only 83 licensed hackney carriage vehicles serving nearly one hundred thousand people in the district.  Deregulation has seen 20 vehicles added to the fleet over two years and then a move to no restriction on numbers.  This move to ‘no limit’ on numbers has been controlled by improving the quality of taxi vehicles that are able to ply for trade in Wyre Forest.  Under the scheme that the Council has introduced, all taxis added to the fleet will be accessible to all, including disabled travellers.  Prior to deregulation only very few vehicles were accessible to the disabled and now during deregulation we have already seen the number of disabled accessible type taxis increase to 27 out of the current 100 vehicles that are now on the taxi fleet. 

I believe that in the modern times we live in everybody has an equal right to hail a hackney carriage in the street, whether you are able bodied or disabled.  The only way that we will achieve this is by improving the taxi fleet.  By the very nature of a taxi being disabled accessible it does not in any way reduce the accessibility for most other types of user.  I believe, along with professional advice, that by using purpose built taxis we are improving both the safety aspect of the customers’ experience as well as the levels of comfort and flexibility that is available.

I can understand Mr Owen’s concerns in relation to the slightly higher cost of purpose built taxis as he controls by far the most significant portion of the taxi fleet in the District.  Part of the rational in deregulating the District’s taxi fleet is to disband what some might describe as a cartel that has existed within our District in recent years. 

 I think the majority of people would recognise that we have to have a significant proportion of our taxis that are plying for trade in the District to be disabled accessible.  How do you fairly decide which of our current one hundred licensed taxis in the District are to be disabled friendly?  How do you fairly require one taxi driver to spend more on his taxi than another taxi driver who will be charging exactly the same rate for the service they provide?  I would suggest that we have a duty to make a level playing field for the taxi market in the District, and that is exactly what the Council’s policy will produce. 

I am not so arrogant to say that we will not change the Council’s policy in light of any new evidence presented to us, but what I can say is that taking into account the latest Government guidance on the subject the strategy in Wyre Forest is at the forefront of national thinking. 

Yours sincerely

John-Paul Campion

Leader of the Council