Caroline Ansell and the town’s taxi representative have today called on the borough council to launch a new consultation on the trade in the town.
Both Caroline and Jeff Defalco are concerned that drivers are leaving the trade because of new rules like mandatory CCTV, bureaucracy and drivers forced to pass local knowledge tests in the age of sat nav.
Drivers have also complained of a poor relationship with the council’s licensing department that oversees their operations.
A survey by the MP has found that nearly half of Eastbourne residents who responded are waiting more than an hour for a taxi due to driver shortages.
In another development Lewes District Council has launched another six-week taxi consultation – putting more pressure on Eastbourne’s council to act.
The council is also an outlier. House of Commons Library research by Caroline has found that between 2021 and 2022 only 15 local authorities out of 276 in England had mandatory CCTV requirements for taxis and 14 for private hire vehicles.
“I want to urge the borough council to recognise the loss of taxi drivers is a huge blow to residents and visitors alike and it is potentially putting people in danger late at night,” said Caroline.
“There are many issues at play and I have today askes the council to sit down with me and Jeff as the taxi representatives before the next licensing committee meeting.
“But it is crucial a new consultation is launched so that everyone can have their say on what is a good way forward that keeps people safe in the cars and allows them to be safe by actually being able to call a cab when they need one late at night or to go to a hospital appointment.
“The consultation can also address another key ask: to better understand the roll out of CCTV to find a proper evidence base and impact assessment of this decision, especially when other local councils are not implementing it.”
Taxi representative Jeff Defalco said: “Lewes Council has announced that the mandatory CCTV licence condition is returning to full public consultation, along with much-needed changes to testing to enable the trade to attract drivers and bring Lewes in line with other progressive authorities around the country.
“We, the Eastbourne taxi/private hire operators, would kindly request the same be afforded to Eastbourne by the council.
“This CCTV condition is brought into stark contrast when one looks at local authorities in the entirety of the UK, most of whom have significantly higher crime rates than Eastbourne; only 15 have mandated CCTV in Private Hire vehicles."
