A Blackpool taxi driver is calling on the local council to take a stand against "out-of-area" Uber drivers, who he says are taking a significant portion of local trade and cannot be regulated effectively.
Neil Charnock, a cabbie with 23 years of experience, is urging the council to support a national campaign led by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham to close a legislative loophole that allows the practice.
Although Blackpool Council has licensed Uber to operate in the town, Charnock says the issue is that drivers licensed in other areas, such as Knowsley, Manchester, and Wolverhampton, "flock over here from other towns," particularly on weekends.
He claims that this influx causes local drivers to "lose out by up to 30 to 40 per cent on takings, severely diluting their income."
Charnock argues that because these drivers are not regulated by Blackpool Council, there are also public safety concerns.
"If these drivers cannot be regulated and checked in the same way as locals, you have a potential problem right there," he said.
In response, Blackpool Council's Cabinet Member for Community Safety, Street Scene and Neighbourhoods, Cllr Paula Burdess, has previously stated that the council is limited in its ability to act.
"There is nothing we can do to stop businesses coming to Blackpool if they are legally allowed to," she said, acknowledging that the "legal framework around taxi legislation is outdated."
Burdess added that the council is "continuing to look at ways that may help us influence the change and improvements that are needed."
The campaign Charnock is referencing, "Backing Our Taxis," seeks to grant city-regions new powers to license and regulate taxis more effectively.
While Blackpool is not a city-region, it is part of the new Lancashire Combined County Authority, which Charnock hopes will allow the council to show "some support for the drivers who have served this town year in and year out."
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