Chester cabbies protest

Chester's black cabs protest at new licence plans



Black cabs lined up on roads in Chester city centre yesterday as drivers protested about a new council free-for-all policy
http://www.chestereveningleader.co.uk/news/Chester39s-black-cabs-protest-at.4020465.jp
Published Date: 25 April 2008
By Staff reporter
BLACK cab drivers flooded the streets of Chester yesterday in protest at a new council policy.
Members of the Chester Licence Hackney Association (CLHA) are angry about a city council recommendation to allow an unlimited number of black cabs onto city roads at any one time.

Chester currently has 77 licensed black cabs but the council's ruling executive is being asked to back a licensing board recommendation that any number of cabs may be given a licence.

The decision was taken on party lines with the ruling Conservative group in favour and Labour and Liberal Democrat councillors backing the status quo.

Association chairman Richard Barker, a city taxi driver for 20 years, said: "We want to show them that if they open the floodgates all taxis will come out in unison and it will be chaos.

"If all the 77 cabs filled up the ranks it will cause major traffic problems."