Bolton Cabbies Victorious After MLS 2 Scheme Scrapped
In a significant turn of events, the leadership of Bolton Council has withdrawn its support for the controversial "Minimum Licensing Standards 2" (MLS 2). This policy, which would have imposed charges on drivers operating vehicles older than ten years, has been a subject of intense debate and opposition from drivers across the borough. They argued that the policy could potentially devastate their livelihoods.
The council's decision marks a significant shift in policy. Council leader Cllr Nick Peel stated, "We have decided that we are not going to continue pursuing MLS 2." He emphasized that the decision was entirely that of the Labour council, pointing out that the previous Conservative council had years to address this issue but failed to do so.
The MLS scheme was a collective agreement by Greater Manchester's ten councils in 2018. It aimed to establish common standards for the 11,500 private hire vehicles across the city region. Bolton Council, under its previous administration, had agreed to the first stage of the MLS proposals, which were approved in September 2021.
However, the scheme has been met with staunch opposition from drivers in Bolton.
They expressed concerns that the policy, which required taxi/private hire vehicles to be no more than five years old upon first registration and less than ten years on the road to avoid a charge, could potentially force them off the road. They also raised concerns that a common livery policy might make them more susceptible to vandalism.
In response to these concerns, Bolton Council's leadership announced changes to the policy in June. These included removing the age policy, ensuring no Greater Manchester-wide common livery, and pushing back the new emissions policy from 2028 to 2030.
Despite these changes, the Bolton Private Hire Association continued to vehemently oppose the scheme. They demanded that it be scrapped entirely, arguing that neither the Labour nor Conservative administrations had been listening to them.
Following meetings between representatives of the taxi trade and council leadership, including Cllr Peel, deputy leader Cllr Akhtar Zaman, and cabinet member for regulatory services and property Cllr Sue Haworth, the council leadership has now withdrawn support for MLS 2. The expectation is that the status quo will be maintained.
Bolton Private Hire Association Secretary Yasif Khan expressed his satisfaction with the decision, thanking the administration for recognizing the financial burden the policy would have placed on drivers. He stated, "From day one we were telling them it wasn't affordable for the drivers, it would have been very difficult to get finance on new cars and it would have been very difficult with the second-hand market as well."
He added, "If it's not broken, don't fix it, as we've always said we already do two MoTs. There has never been any issue with safety and the safety of our passengers is always paramount."
This decision marks a significant victory for Bolton's taxi and private hire drivers, demonstrating the power of collective action and negotiation in shaping policy decisions.