THOUSANDS of bank holiday weekend revellers in Huddersfield face a long walk home after taxi drivers announced plans for a strike.
Private hire and Hackney cab drivers across Kirklees have agreed to take action on Friday, May 1.
The move, sparked by anger at council licence cost increases, could seriously disrupt what should be a busy night in Huddersfield town centre at the start of the May Day Bank Holiday weekend.
Drivers announced the strike plan yesterday to oppose Kirklees Council’s rise in taxi licence fees.
Huddersfield Hackney carriage driver Makhan Singh said taxi drivers were fully behind the strike.
Last week the council’s Cabinet decided to increase the annual charge for driver licence renewal by 62% from £37 to £60. Licences for Hackney carriage cars will rise from £106 to £135 a year and for private hire cabs from £125 to £135.
Private hire company’s operating licences will rocket from £53 a year to £380.
The strike move comes after taxi drivers’ representatives met council officers at Cleckheaton Town Hall yesterday morning.
Amjad Nadeem, secretary of Kirklees Hackney Carriage Association, was at the meeting. He said: “Talks have broken down regarding the licence increase. The council refused to accept our objections.
“We walked out of the meeting and we’re planning a 24-hour strike for May 1.”
Drivers’ groups will meet in Dewsbury on Tuesday to rubber-stamp the strike, which is planned to run for 24 hours from 6am.
Driver Mr Singh said: “I’ve spoken to a lot of drivers and not one of them has been against going on strike. All the private hire people agree as well.
“If we don’t take any action the council will do the same to us next year.”
Mr Singh added that the recession was hitting taxi drivers’ income.
He said: “Our takings are well down so putting our licence renewal up by 62% is ludicrous. Why should we have to pay this? It wouldn’t be warranted even if things were busy.”
But the council’s Cabinet member for regeneration Clr David Sheard said striking would hit taxi drivers’ income more than the licence increase. He said: “You’ve got to question the wisdom of this. How much are they going to lose by striking for a day against a 50p-a-week rise?”
Clr Sheard added that all the extra money from the licence hike would be invested in the taxi service.
Any strike would hit pubs and clubs in Huddersfield town centre.
Lee Alderman, licensee of Zephyr Bar on King Street and Flying Circus on Cross Church Street, was worried to learn of the strike plan.
He said: “Our trade would be severely effected, particularly at the Flying Circus which is open until 6am.
“Taxi drivers provide a valuable service to traders in the town centre.
“If people know they can’t get a taxi home then they’re not going to come out in the first place.”
Mr Alderman added that town centre bars and clubs were already suffering because of the recession.
A West Yorkshire Police spokeswoman said: “We are still waiting for confirmation of the strike. We will take appropriate measures if it goes ahead.”
Taxi drivers in Kirklees last went on strike on July 29, 2006, when 1,700 cabbies stopped work for seven hours in solidarity with the family of murdered driver Mohammad Parvaiz.
