Bolton: Taxi drivers' relief after MLS scheme abandoned

In a dramatic turnaround last week, the council’s ruling Labour group announced they were no longer supporting phase two of the minimum licensing standards (MLS) scheme.

This would originally have charged drivers for using vehicles more than 10 years old, a move which drivers say could have damaged their livelihoods.

Cllr Paul Heslop, a long-term opponent of the scheme, said: “Right from the beginning I never agreed with MLS, I think it was more about Manchesterisation than improving taxi standards.”

He added: “For me it was just one of those initiatives that was more about trying to bring in uniformity across Greater Manchester than it was about the interests of taxi drivers.”

The MLS scheme had provoked a series of protests (Image: Newsquest)

Cllr Heslop said that he believed that given how many taxis are licenced outside the borough the proposed reforms were “mostly obsolete anyway".

The scheme was first agreed on by the 10 Greater Manchester councils in 2018 put provoked an outpouring of opposition from Bolton drivers ever since.

As well as a common Greater Manchester livery, since dropped, the most controversial aspect centred on a demand that taxi vehicles be no more than five years old on first registration and have been on the road for less than 10 years to avoid a charge.

Last month, the council’s leadership announced they were changing this part of the scheme to try and allay drivers’ concerns.

But just last week the same leadership took this a step further and announced they were scrapping the scheme.

This came after a meeting between leader Cllr Nick Peel, deputy leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman and executive cabinet member Cllr Sue Haworth with leaders of the taxi trade, including the Bolton Private Hire Association, last Thursday.

Cllr Haworth said: “Labour were never going to support a maximum age of 10 years or more livery.”

She added: “The Labour cabinet has been lobbied by the taxi trade to think again. Labour has listened to drivers who have raised additional issues. 

“In addition, there are a couple matters about the car market and the taxi trade since the labour cabinet decision that persuade the cabinet to remove the council from Greater Manchester MLS 2.

On behalf of the trade attendee Mo Akram commended the “good judgement” they had shown in doing so.

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He said: “We had always maintained our strong position that there was no place for ill-thought-out Greater Manchester initiatives on Bolton licensed drivers.

"By not implementing any of the proposed changes, the same would not compromise the current high licensing standards in place, in Bolton and the all-important no-risk to public safety.”

The proposal also encountered opposition from Bolton’s smaller political parties, including Cllr Heslop’s One Kearsley, which Mr Akram also commended.

Mr Akram said: “We would like to further extend our gratitude to the hard-working Bolton independent hyperlocal parties and the opposition parties pre and post local elections 2023 for calling-in the decision at the respective cabinet meetings.

“Whilst we do not wish to dwell any further on the past four plus years of communicating with the past and present administrations, we need to look forward on building a strong positive relationship and having continuous dialogue with elected members in improving standards and services at the authority for locally invested people and businesses.”