‘Bullied’ Tory activist killed himself on Sandy train line

A Tory activist who claimed to have been bullied by Conservative supporters before his death committed suicide, a coroner ruled today.

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Luton youths involved in carnival day rioting ‘let their town down’

Youths from Luton who embroiled themselves in carnival day rioting have been slammed for “letting their town down”.

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via IFTTTMay 31, 2016 at 05:13PM

‘Bullied’ Tory activist killed himself on Sandy train line

A Tory activist who claimed to have been bullied by Conservative supporters before his death committed suicide, a coroner ruled today.

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Appeal for RFL sponsorshop

Dunstable Downs was a sea of pink recently as more than 1,900 mums, grans, daughters, sisters, aunts, workmates and friends united for Cancer Research UK’s Race for Life.

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Mitalee Youth win a Pudsey award

Mitalee Youth Association are celebrating after being awarded a grant of £7,650 by BBC Children in Need.

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MonolgueSlam powers into Luton theatre

Luton Library Theatre didn’t know what hit it when MonologueSlam Luton powered into town.

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VIDEO: Shocking rise in fatal air gun attacks on cats

An animal charity is calling for tougher laws on air guns after new figures showed a huge rise in the number of pets being killed with the weapons.

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Tommee Tippee baby cups withdrawn over child illness fears

Tommee Tippee is recalling items from its Sippee Cup range following reports of children falling ill after drinking from them.

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Ladies are ready for their charity sky dive

Nine ladies are preparing to jump 13,000 foot out of a plane at 120 miles per hour on Saturday, June 4, to raise money for Aoife’s Type 1 Diabetes Charity Fund.

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Exclusive: Armed police called as ‘shotgun’ is fired at Luton home

Armed police were called to an address in Luton this morning after a firearm was used to shoot at a home.

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Luton dad to skydive as Darth Vader

A Luton dad is planning a double whammy tandem skydive next month dressed as Darth Varder. He’ll be accompanied by his friend Jamie Desmond who’ll be sporting a Storm Trooper outfit.

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SNP analysis scoops prize

Luton Sixth Form College student Connor Auchterlonie – who just happens to be Scottish and a member of the SNP – scooped the prestigious politics prize by delving into his party’s recent success.

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Saima Khan: Woman arrested over murder of Luton mother

A 26-year-old woman from Luton has been arrested in connection with the murder of Saima Khan.

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Stabbed man ‘critical’

Police investigating a double stabbing in Luton on Sunday are treating it as an isolated incident and are appealing for witnesses.

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via IFTTTMay 31, 2016 at 09:55AM

Addison Lee, Arrive In Greater Manchester.

Addison Lee arrives in Manchester. 

London PH Giant Addison Lee arrives in Manchester, EXCEPT, they missed it on their Sat Nav and instead set up in a nearby Town, usually the case with PH drivers, but not the Companies. 

Addison Lee are however owned by U.S. Equity group Carlyle and it must be remembered that Mark Twain (another Yank) once said of Manchester.

“I would like to live in Manchester, England. The transition between Manchester and death would be unnoticeable.”

However , for whatever reason, locating near Manchester but licensing with a more efficient authority is no doubt a wise one.

Lets hope they can give UBERK a run for their money. It is not a coincidence that UBERK have an 'Office' in Stockport as well.

Read more: >mcrblackcab.proboards<

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Two taken to hospital after riot after Luton carnival

Five people have been arrested and investigations are continuing following disorder in Luton town centre on Sunday evening.

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Bedford hero tops list of Britain’s all-time greatest underdogs

Former Bedford hero Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, Del Boy and the current Leicester City squad are among Britain’s best-loved underdogs of all time.

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Road to traffic hell as congestion levels reach record high

For anyone who spends much time behind the wheel it might seem obvious but now government statistics have proved that Britain’s roads are getting busier.

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Argos recalls product over fire risk

High-street retailer Argos has urged customers to stop using one of its products amid fears they could catch fire.

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TfL Caught Bang To Rights Issuing PH licence Without CRB Check.

This tweet appeared on Twitter yesterday afternoon.

It followed this document which was posted earlier in the day.

We have been told repeatedly by TfL that Private Hire drivers go through the exact same process as Licensed Taxi Drivers when applying for or renewing their licenses. 

Last April we were warned in the media 

'Criminal record checks BANNED on foreign murderers and rapists who want to be minicab drivers if they have applied for asylum or refugees status'

TfL brushed these claims under the carpet and  repeatedly stated on Twitter, Private Hire Licenses are not issued, unless the driver has first completed an enhanced DBS check. 

At other times, we were told 'people that have lived in a foreign country and haven't lived here long enough, could be licensed subject to a letter of good conduct from the last country they lived in'. 

Well it seems they lied.....again!

Lies such as;

• They have switch on, switch off insurance.

• They complied with all the regulations when they first applied for their licence.

• They definitely have a land line for bookings

And now this;

Many Licensed Taxi drivers have been put out of work, some for many months, after Peter Hendy decided to scrap the temporary licence system that had been in use, with absolutely no trouble for decades. He said he could trust Taxi drivers to receive renewals just incase they had committed serious offences while waiting for their new licence to be processed. 

Now we find out that TfL have allegedly been issuing new and renewals to Private Hire drivers, without first receiving back DBS criminal record checks....One rule for us, and yet a completely deferent rule for PH.

A driver asked the question on Twitter, why are the org not all over this

He was told by a certain political lobbyist, that they had been silenced by TfL's gagging policy. 

At this, the same tired trolls rolled out to defend the engagement policy, but were told 'call it what you like, but the engagement policy clearly prohibits criticism of TfL'.

We have been informed the Mayor will be looking into this issue. 

This situation is unacceptable. TfL can no longer be trusted.

TO ENSURE THE SURVIVAL OF THE TAXI TRADE, THE ENGAGEMENT POLICY MUST BE THROWN OUT.

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Roads closed as police investigate double stabbing in Luton

Two roads in Luton are currently closed following a double stabbing this morning (Sunday).

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via IFTTTMay 29, 2016 at 10:20AM

‘Low fat diet advice bad for obesity crisis’ say health charities

Major public health bodies are colluding with the food industry and promoting policies that are having “disastrous health consequences”, a damning health charity report says.

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Parents offer rewards as incentive for good exam results

More than four in five parents with children taking exams this year are offering rewards to their offspring such as cash, holidays and gadgets, a survey has found.

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Teens wrapped up in TV and their phones score lowest in exams

Teens who divide their attention between watching the TV and texting on the their mobiles score low marks in their exams.

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A letter to the editor. From Tom Scullion

HAL / BAA have fast tracked a feeder park to a company who do not comply with tfl's rules or regulations a company who have been exposed and expelled all around the World for non compliance with the regulations of the particular City, County or Country.

How will HAL implement this mini cab feeder park? 

Are the car park charges be in line with the Taxi feeder park ?

 I am also interested on the Civil aviation authority's views on allowing cars to operate at airports in the UK ? I am pretty sure it breaks their own rules.

According to a leading insurance brokerage company there are 183,000 PHV drivers in the UK who do not have the correct insurance are BAA going to allow PHV drivers a permit or RFID readers without checking that they are correctly insured to pick up HAL's passengers ?

This back door deal with Uber seems to me, to be rushed through without consultation with the taxi trade and all of the other stakeholders including the trusting passengers who use and work at Heathrow airport.

The minimum requirement for registration must be a full audit including identity checks with finger prints, CRB checks, fleet management controls for MOT,  vehicle maintenance records and Full hire and reward insurance displayed in the vehicle at all times.

Tfl and the Police should have inspectors working with HAL to have daily vehicle inspections to make sure the vehicle are road worthy and are interrogated  with ANPR systems on every terminal 24/7 including searches for rape kits.

Is it true that HAL signed off the uber mini cab feeder over three months ago without any dialogue with the Taxi trade and other stakeholders like the trusting public it would be interesting to review HAL's  detailed data on this invisible review.

Will other PHV companies like Addison Lee be allowed to use this VIP car park? 

If not why not?

All seems dark to me.....

The only trade organisation to pick up the baton is The UCG well done Guys.

I feel really sorry for the local residents around the Heathrow area who have been subjected to the plague of filthy  drivers and I agree something has to be done, but HAL's decision to reward bad behavior and to cosy  up to a company who has no control or responsibility for their drivers is outrageous, imagine the costs of refurbishing our old feeder park then hand it over to a PHV company who do not have the ability to pre booked a job, which is against tfl's rules is nonsensical.

Is HAL's secret agenda to allow uninsured unchecked private hire drivers to force the London Taxi trade out of the airport ?  

Recent reports claim there are only four Police enforcement officers at Heathrow and by contrast Gatwick have over 90 if HAL want a third runway they need to step up big time, here is another example of lawlessness the Hilton on T4 has an illegal Uber rank plying for hire, it's all got out of control.

Not a word from TfL's new enforcement officers who stand around Edgware Road traffic lights shooting the breeze what's that all about ?

When are they going to be employed at Heathrow airport?

The whole issue of E plying for hire must be addressed by  the government, MP's and the courts in great detail as this current Wild West do as you like minicabs free for all has to stop.

Be lucky 

Tom Scullion.

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Funding cake to support victims of crime

The new Police and Crime Commissioner, Kathryn Holloway has revealed a £400,000 funding cake to support victims of the most traumatic crimes.

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via IFTTTMay 28, 2016 at 08:09AM

Funding cake to support victims of crime

The new Police and Crime Commissioner, Kathryn Holloway has revealed a £400,000 funding cake to support victims of the most traumatic crimes.

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Ready meal dinner parties ‘no longer shameful’

Serving up a ready meal at a dinner party is no longer considered a social faux-pas, suggests new research.

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Confusion over alcohol limits as doctors pour scorn on Government’s advice

Doctors are at odds with the UK’s Chief Medical Officers over the amount of alcohol it is safe to drink, a new poll of GPs has revealed.

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Top tips for festival-goers to avoid ticket scams

Summer is on its way and that means one thing to music lovers: festival time.

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Top tips for festival-goers to avoid ticket scams

Summer is on its way and that means one thing to music lovers: festival time.

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CAN'T DEMO BECAUSE OF YOUR MORTGAGE? HOW WILL YOU PAY IT, WITH NO JOB?

There is a UCG demo on 8th June, between 2pm and 4pm, Victoria Street and Windsor House.
It is a protest to highlight the corrupt state of Transport for London to a wider audience; with a call for Leon Daniels to go.

It is not aimed at the new Mayor. How could it be? His seat is not yet warm.

I am not a UCG member.
I understand the insignificance of replacing one corrupt official with another.
But the public, whose support we want, need to be informed of our struggle.
The whole of TfL needs to be reviewed.
London needs a Public Enquiry, looking into TfL's unhealthy relationship with rich disruptive organisations, from management level up to Johnson, Osborne and Cameron.

My union, the RMT do not support the demo. They also believe that Daniels will not be sacked, but promoted; re Hendy.

I personally do not care if Daniels is beatified.
This is not a tit for tat vendetta against Daniels. It is a public statement that we believe Leon Daniels is not fit to serve in his existing position.

Officially the RMT feels it deflects from real issues. But I believe this is an issue that needs public airing.

The LTDA do everything to undermine the UCG and any other trade organisation.
They did the same last time out, with an 'all fur coat and no knickers' lobby come photo opportunity at Parliament, the day before a demo.

The LTDA and TfL are too cosy. So cosy in fact it is hard to discern one from the other.

The LTDA boast about their relationship with MPs and officials. Look where that got us.
We are in this state because of the LTDA's cosy, ineffectual relationship with MPs and officials.
The LTDA are poodles.

Unite are more like a political party than a union. I am still waiting for that grand conjuring trick they and Tom Watson promised us, a year ago.
Luckily I did not hold my breath.

This lack of urgency, and my feeling that the Taxi Branch seemed to be of no real consequence to the largest union in the land, were my main reasons for leaving.

The LCDC are more a taxi newspaper than a taxi movement.

They released embarrassing emails between Daniels and Jo Bertrum, showing collusion between TfLTPH and Uber. But the readership of The Badge are only cab drivers.
It is the public who need to be informed.

The LCDC supply the bullets for others to fire, but are nowhere to be seen, for fear of upsetting the new Mayor or anyone else they might photobomb to raise their profile.

A refusal to 'out' Daniels in public, by Orgs who refused to sit at the same table as him, smacks of grandstanding.

This demo will not inconvenience the public too much. It is occurring during a convenient time the Metropolitan Police agreed was not overly disruptive.

TfL hierarchy must be rolling in the aisles watching this division.

Whenever we need to show unity, an enemy within throws a spanner.
If we die, it will be due to Machiavellian ambition and driver apathy.

I for one will be on that demo calling for Daniels's head. And why not? He conspired to take ours.

I will also be calling for a public enquiry, and highlighting how the rape and sexual assault of vulnerable Londoners, by TfL Licensed Private Hire drivers, has gone through the roof, on Daniels's watch.

So if you need an excuse not to attend, you can always use that old chestnut "My Org told me not to.", that is your perogative, your conscience.

If you work during the demo, any Taxi demo, then you are crossing a picket line. And you know what that makes you.

by Lenny Etheridge

   

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Sadness as Dunstable’s oldest resident Olive Ashley dies at 109

Dunstable’s oldest resident Olive Ashley passed away yesterday at the age of 109, it has been confirmed.

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I owe my soul to the company store...by I'm Spartacus

So goes the old song, the Paul Robeson version being the finest and most moving.

So vehicle manufacturers are teaming up with PH and Taxi apps.
all talking about driverless cars so let's deal with that first then last.

Will there be a robot to load wheelchairs, luggage or deal with those who's language skills aren't great or not exactly sure of their destination?

We can imagine what will happen to those who have had one or twenty too many Cream Sodas and who might leave a parting gift for the next punter.

Back to the present, let's see all this for what it is, nothing more than a set of finance deals to tie in drivers to a app and a manufacturer over the longest possible time, they might as well install handcuffs to fit the steering wheel and a Benzedrine drip!

Some are already offering 'Payday' loan style arrangements so the suckers who work for those outfits are effectively driving today for yesterday's money, so we have now got financial manacles on the pedals as well.

This isn't the future it's slavery and that's nothing new.

Back to driverless cars, why bother at all? 

Those beloved tax avoiding multinationals can get mugs to drive for less than the minimum wage subsidised by another set of mugs called the taxpayer who fund the tax credit and housing benefit system.

I could write to my MP but their very busy filling in expense claims for 40p, I could call Uber and complain but the landline isn't there. I could email Leon Daniels but he's busy corresponding with Jo.

AlI I do know is ' St Peter don't you call me cos' I can't go, I owe my soul to the company store'.

I'm Spartacus.

P.S 'The EU protects worker rights' .... really????

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Fraudster from Luton jailed four years for cheating dying aunt

A fraudster from Luton who cheated his dying aunt out of her savings has been jailed for four years.

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Police increase patrols following killing of mum of four

People using social media have been mounting patrols in Luton following of a mother of four on her doorstep.

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Fraudster from Luton jailed four years for cheating dying aunt

A fraudster from Luton who cheated his dying aunt out of her savings has been jailed for four years.

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Countdown to a great day out

The sights, the noise, the smells and the excitement – it’s all coming to Luton on Sunday with the 40th annual Luton Carnival.

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UPDATE: Fire at Four Winds Industrial Estate, Clophill

This aerial picture shows the extent of damage caused following a serious fire which broke out at an industrial estate in Clophill last night (May 26).

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Man stabbed in the back in street

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was seriously assaulted in Luton in the early hours of Saturday morning (21 May).

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via IFTTTMay 27, 2016 at 12:34PM

School’s power boost

An energy-efficient village school is now generating more power than it uses thanks to solar panels on its roof.

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Music festival gets off to a flying start

Get your summer off to a flying start, come along to Helifest’16!

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Breaking: Firefighters battle estate blaze

More than 80 firefighters are tackling a blaze at an industrial estate near Clophill.

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Uber Do Not Actually Accept Bookings, But The Drivers Do... An Open Letter To Chief Licensing Officer (Head of Licensing) Sheffield From Lee Ward.

   

  

To Stephen Lonnia, Chief Licensing Officer (Head of Licensing) Sheffield

I bring to your attention several drivers that had their badges revoked and are currently going through the court process of illegally plying for hire, and no doubt afterwards for then driving without insurance. 

I am sure that you are aware that these drivers had their licenses revoked and or suspended with immediate effect due to them being classed as a danger to the public by the Sheffield Licensing Committee and therefore the licenses were revoked/suspended under section 61(2)(a) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976

I am now going to ask why, if this is the case of the drivers, have Uber not also been dealt with in the same manner for the exact same reasons?

Uber are a peer to peer company (P2P), they openly admit that they are not a transport provider. Section 3 of the Users Terms and Conditions states;

Uber UK accepts PHV Bookings acting as disclosed agent for the Transportation Provider (as principal). Such acceptance by Uber UK as agent for the Transportation Provider gives rise to a contract for the provision to you of transportation services between you and the Transportation Provider (the "Transportation Contract"). For the avoidance of doubt: Uber UK does not itself provide transportation services, and is not a Transportation Provider. Uber UK acts as intermediary between you and the Transportation Provider. You acknowledge and agree that the provision to you of transportation services by the Transportation Provider is pursuant to the Transportation Contract and that Uber UK accepts your booking as agent for the Transportation Provider, but is not a party to that contract.

For the sake of clarity, your PHV Booking will be accepted and allocated to a Transportation Provider by Uber UK as holder of the relevant operator's licence. You should be aware that the Transportation Provider to which your PHV Booking is allocated and who provides the Transportation Services may be licensed in an area other than where the booking is requested or the Transportation Services are provided.

And as I am sure you are aware that the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 Section 56(1) states that;

For the purposes of this Part of this Act every contract for the hire of a private hire vehicle licensed under this Part of this Act shall be deemed to be made with the operator who accepted the booking for that vehicle whether or not he himself provided that vehicle.

After reading the summary of Judge Sean F Dunphy in the Ontario Court of State Justice in 2015 which can be located here http://ift.tt/1TI3suO

It was very clear that a P2P service such as Uber do not actually accept the booking, but the driver does. This has been proven quite easily by myself and a friend who is an Uber driver. We drove to the outskirts of Sheffield to ensure that no other Uber driver was close by and I requested a trip from the Uber App, which I could not make because no Uber cars were available and therefore Uber could not and did not accept my booking. 

I then asked my friend to log into his Uber drivers App and make himself available for work, which he did. Sure enough I could now link myself to a driver on the Uber circuit, so I therefore requested a journey, but, I asked my friend to not accept the booking. Because he did not accept the booking the Uber App then told me to try again later, which is quite obvious that the booking was never accepted in the first place by Uber even though a driver and vehicle was in the area. 

Again, this simply proves that what Judge Dunphy identified that it is the driver who accepts the booking and not Uber or any of its servers, companies registered under its umbrella or an employee of Uber that accepts the booking as an operator of private hire vehicles is by law required to do. The driver quite clearly accepts the booking and Uber then link the P2P request of the customer with the driver. Even if the driver accepts the booking and then chooses to decline the booking, the customer is  then still without a booking being accepted because they have to try and get another driver to accept the booking by repeating the process.

This then means that every driver who accepts a booking by a user of the Uber App is actually plying for hire and as such is doing nothing legally different than the drivers who had their licenses suspended/revoked back in late 2015. 

This then therefore leads me to request that Sheffield City Council revoke the Private Hire Operators license issued to Uber on the grounds that every journey that the public think is fully legal and therefore insured is in fact no different than plying for hire which will as you are aware, cancel the Private Hire insurance of the driver who collects them and takes them to the destination unknowingly breaking the law.

Another scenario that would support this action is that if a friend of mine has an operators license and puts his phone on divert to my mobile so that I can take calls and then cover the work I would also, as a driver, be accepting the work and not him himself who is a licensed operator.

I must advise you and the Sheffield City Council that ALPHA see this matter of such a high importance to the safety of the public travelling in Sheffield that if no action is taken by yourselves by the close of business on Friday the 28th of May 2016 then we will have no option other than to take this information both locally and nationally to the the media and other bodies that will find this information relevant.

Please respond to this email as soon as possible and not like previous emails that I have sent to yourself. 

Yours

Lee Ward

ALPHA Chairman

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Unless The Taxi Trade Ditches The Engagement Policy And Unites Fully, It Hasn't Got A Hope Of Surviving...by Jim Thomas

Our trade is like this baby seal, floating on thin ice, in an ocean full of Orcas, closing in for the kill.

Any defence mechanism we've had, has been stripped away by the bureaucracy and red tape of the engagement policy. Half our trade orgs have and still are capitulating to the whims and wants of TfL, while excluding all other representative groups.

They call themselves the United Trade Group, but they are far from united. They meet regularly with TfL but there are no minutes of the meetings, because they are frightened of rocking the boat, incase they themselves become excluded.

In this present climate, with the trade on the floor and the large lady warming her vocal cords, you would have thought the trade would be falling over itself to become more united than ever and yet the reverse is true.

Ask any of the three constituent members of the UTG if they would support a push to remove the engagement policy and you get the same tired answer, that is not their call, it's TfL.  

And yet the LTDA have emailed all their members explaining why the engagement policy should stay in place. 

'For many years TfL has, understandably (in Steve McNamara's opinion), required trade groups to be able to justify that they have a membership of at least 5% of drivers, in order to be fully recognised and engage with TfL at a senior and mayoral level -a condition that only the LTDA meet- The theory (who's theory Steve, yours and Bob's?)being that without a minimum membership criteria (about 1200 drivers out of the 25,000 total), or a background of long established trade representation -both the RMT taxi branch and UNited Cabbies Group have been established over seven years and the Suburban coalition for much longer - it would be impossible to limit meeting attendances to a practicable and workable level.' 

Is Steve McNamara assuming that two members from six orgs/unions couldn't carry out a practicable and workable meeting?

I myself have been in TfL RedRout Forum meetings at TfL with over 24 delegates from 8-9 different groups and enjoyed extremely practicable and workable meetings. Come on Steve surely you can do better than that old chestnut!

"The Engagement Policy" has fragmented the trade, currently only the LTDA, LCDC and Unite are officially recognised. Steve McNamara holds this up as a major achievement?

But then there's the insurmountable hurdle of the one little word.....Kudos. 

If it's not their own idea, they won't be backing it!

If their not their glory, then they will steal it!

So why are they doing this: 

• Why can't they see beyond the insults of the past?

• Why can't they draw a line in the sand and step over it, leaving what's passed in the past?

• Why can't they step forward for the benifit of the whole trade?

Until the orgs get their act together, forget the insults, throw out the engagement policy and truly unite....we don't stand a chance....just like this baby seal, eventually the ice will melt. 

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VIDEO: Cerys Matthews’ new single results in a world music first as her band play while being driven in eco-cars

Could this be a case for Mulder and Scully? Or for a new eco-friendly female Jeremy Clarkson?

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The History Of The Black Cab

Source: Car Keys

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Wiggy’s Cup sets £10,000 target for children’s charity

Friends and family of Lewis Snow, who died in 2008, are holding their annual five-a-side tournament to raise money for Great Ormond Street Hospital children’s charity.

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Husband of Luton mum Saima Khan speaks out after brutal murder

The husband of a mum-of-four murdered in Luton on Monday night has spoken of his heartbreak.

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Husband of Luton mum Saima Khan speaks out after brutal murder

The husband of a mum-of-four murdered in Luton on Monday night has spoken of his heartbreak.

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via IFTTTMay 26, 2016 at 12:46PM

Shocking brutality uncovered in dog fighting probe

An investigation into dog fighting in Beds has found dogs are being slammed into walls to toughen them up, cats and dogs used as ‘bait’ to train fighting dogs and dead dogs dumped in the countryside.

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Two men in court over Natalia Doherty murder enquiry

Two men facing charges over the death of Natalia Doherty in 2003 appeared before magistrates this morning.

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Sean Paul Day, An Interview With Francis Wyhowska

  LONDON TAXI RADIO INTERVIEWS EPISODE 51

In this episode Sean Paul Day interviews friend of the Taxi trade, Francis Wyhowska.

 

Francis is a big supporter of the London taxi Trade and regularly attends demos and hits and has just returned from the London Taxi Drivers Benevolent Associations trip to Ypres

Email: admin@londontaxiradio.co.uk
Tel: 020 8144 8294
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London Taxi Radio is an New Digital Media initiative incorporating an online radio station, podcasts, Youtube channel, photographs and video footage.

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Two men in court over Natalia Doherty murder enquiry

Two men facing charges over the death of Natalia Doherty in 2003 appeared before magistrates this morning.

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via IFTTTMay 26, 2016 at 11:48AM

Luton’s identity challenged in cutting edge film

English quirks, Islamic traditions and a walk through Bury Park – life in Luton is explored in a new film which premieres this week.

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Plea to stop rumours after mum killed in Luton home

Police have urged the public to help and not speculate as they hunt for the killer of a Luton mother of four.

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via IFTTTMay 26, 2016 at 10:53AM

EU referendum: 10 myths about the European Union and the truth

Politicians were always going to play fast and loose with the facts in this campaign.

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Plea to stop rumours after mum killed in Luton home

Police have urged the public to help and not speculate as they hunt for the killer of a Luton mother of four.

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Toyota Hails Ride With Uber

Carmakers Toyota and Volkswagen have struck separate partnerships with rideshare companies Uber and Gett. 

The Japanese company will invest an unspecified amount in Uber and offer new leasing options for its drivers. 

Toyota said the two companies would share also knowledge and speed up their research efforts in areas such as driverless cars. 

Toyota said that as patterns of car usage continued to change, it wanted the collaboration to be about more than simply providing vehicles but to also collaborate on technology such as in-car apps.

Gett chief executive Shahar Waiser also stressed that the partnership with VW would involve technology and innovation. 

VW said: "The ride-hailing market represents the greatest market potential in on-demand mobility, while creating the technological platform for developing tomorrow's mobility business models."

Uber's deal with Toyota follows Apple's $1bn investment in Chinese ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing. That has been regarded in some quarters as a political move by the US technology giant to bolster its presence in the crucial Chinese market. 

Apple is also believed to be developing a car.

In March, General Motors invested $500m in US Uber rival Lyft to help develop an on-demand network of self-driving cars. 

The partnership will also create a joint car rental service for drivers to increase the number of vehicles available through Lyft

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Suspected thief running from police died after being hit by number of vehicles on M1

A suspected thief died after he attempted to run across three lanes of the M1 in Northamptonshire to try to avoid police capture and was struck by several vehicles, an inquest heard.

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Suspected thief running from police died after being hit by number of vehicles on M1

A suspected thief died after he attempted to run across three lanes of the M1 in Northamptonshire to try to avoid police capture and was struck by several vehicles, an inquest heard.

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via IFTTTMay 26, 2016 at 09:20AM

Uber accuse Taxis Of Overcharging Wheelchair Customers And Announce Their LandLine Exemption By TfL.

Uber, lying to the public.

In their announcement earlier this month uber, using a generalisation, state quite falsely, that two thirds of Wheelchair users have been unfairly over charged by Taxis and private hire. 

As we know, in respect of London's licensed Taxis, wheelchair users pay the same fare as everyone else. But then let's not forget the Ubergate tapes that have shown this company is being coached by TfL Managing Director Leon (turn on off insurance, Yes they have a land line) Daniels.

The passage below has been taken from Uber's website.

'Existing accessible private hire vehicles often require booking hours – and sometimes days – in advance and Scope’s 2015 Extra Cost Commission reported research from the Department of Transport showing that almost two thirds of wheelchair users have been unfairly overcharged in a taxi or private hire vehicle.'

Notice again, the inference that Uber do not do pre bookings. (The subject of the first Ubergate email scandal)

Read more at t.uber.com/LDNWAV

A document has recently appeared on Twitter, showing that TfL have given Uber an exemption from the requirement of having a landline. 

Uber say they have been granted an exemption as having a landline for bookings would prejudice the interest of a third party.????

It appears that this company can do what ever they like and that the PHV act of 1998 doesn't apply to them as in TfL's eyes, they are in a category all on their own. 

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Volkswagen is making a $300 million bet on Gett

  Shahar Waiser, cofounder and CEO of Gett.

Volkswagen is making a $300 million strategic investment into taxi app Gett, the startup announced on Tuesday.

The auto giant’s minority investment comes as it attempts to move beyond a huge corporate crisis over emissions, and launches a new mobility unit focused on new technology.

VW “want to go beyond vehicle ownership,” Gett CEO Shahar Waiser told Business Insider in a telephone interview.

Gett, an Israeli startup that launched in 2010, works in a similar way to rival Uber: Users can use an app to simply hail a taxi.

The company is not profitable overall, Waiser said — although it is in some early markets. It has annual revenues of $500 million. It has previously raised $220 million in venture capital — with VW’s $300 million taking the total up to $520 million. Waiser declined to comment on Gett’s valuation.

It currently operates in 60 European cities, as well as New York. The new funding will help accelerate expansion on the continent, Gett says.

Waiser also said that Gett’s technology — big data, predictive algorithms, and so on — could prove useful in the development of self-driving vehicles, but stressed that neither Gett is not currently developing autonomous vehicle technology.

Drivers who use Gett can stand to benefit from the deal: They will be offered terms on Volkswagen vehicles that are better than market rates, Waiser says. This, in turn, could make the platform more attractive to potential drivers looking to get into the ride-hailing business.

The investment is also likely to some extent a necessity, as ride-hailing companies raise increasingly huge war chests in their battle for dominance. Uber has raised billions. And Didi Chuxing, a Chinese ride-hailing company, recently received a rare $1 billion investment from Apple.

VW isn’t the first legacy auto company to invest in the ride-hailing business. Back in January, General Motors sank half a billion dollars into Lyft, at a valuation of $5.5 billion (and as part of a larger $1 billion Series F funding round).

Source : Business Insider.

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UPDATE: “Level of violence high” in attack on woman

Investigators looking into the death of a woman believed to have been murdered in Luton say “the level of violence was high”.

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UPDATE: “Level of violence high” in attack on woman

Investigators looking into the death of a woman believed to have been murdered in Luton say “the level of violence was high”.

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via IFTTTMay 25, 2016 at 10:22AM

Police float for carnival gets a helping hand

Bedfordshire Police’s float for this years Luton Carnival received a £500 grant from the Police Mutual’s national community sponsorship programme, Force for Good.

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VIDEO: Is Hatters’ Harry still Happy after Spongebob showdown?

It was the big sporting showdown of the weekend, but unless you subscribe to extra kids TV channels you may have missed Luton Town’s Happy Harry mascot take on Spongebob Squarepants!

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UPDATE: No formal identification yet for woman believed murdered

The woman believed to have been murdered in Luton yesterday has yet to be formally identified, police have said.

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UPDATE: No formal identification yet for woman believed murdered

The woman believed to have been murdered in Luton yesterday has yet to be formally identified, police have said.

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via IFTTTMay 24, 2016 at 05:35PM

Luton mums in ultra marathon

A Luton mum-of-three who’s shed four stone in four months is taking part in an ultra marathon in memory of her much-loved nan.

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It's Not Uber Killing The Trade, Its The Engagement Policy...Letter To Editor.

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Breaking: police launch murder hunt into death of Luton woman

Police have confirmed that the death of a woman in Luton last night is being treated as murder.

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via IFTTTMay 24, 2016 at 01:42PM

Breaking: Luton mum of 4 ‘killed in late night robbery’

A mother-of-four is believed to have been fatally stabbed in the neck on her own doorstep in a bungled late night robbery.

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Breaking: Luton mum of 4 ‘killed in late night robbery’

A mother-of-four is believed to have been fatally stabbed in the neck on her own doorstep in a bungled late night robbery.

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via IFTTTMay 24, 2016 at 12:05PM

‘We’re all official Dementia Friends’

A Luton law firm has encouraged its staff to take free training to become Dementia Friends.

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Captain’s charity raises £100,000

Way back in 1998, Keech Hospice Care was nominated as the permanent charity for Toddington’s Chalgrave Manor Golf Club captains.

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Helping young people into work

Pupils at local secondary schools will benefit from an education initiative being launched by Luton Airport.

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‘Substance’ thrown in man’s face on Luton street

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man was injured when a substance was thrown in his face last week.

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via IFTTTMay 24, 2016 at 10:26AM

BREAKING: Woman pronounced dead at crime scene at Luton

Police are investigating after a woman died at a crime scene in Luton last night.

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BREAKING: Woman pronounced dead at crime scene at Luton

Police are investigating after a woman died at a crime scene in Luton last night.

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via IFTTTMay 24, 2016 at 10:04AM

Letter To Taxi Leaks : Heathrow Surrounding Area, Turned Into Pseudo Migrant Camps

I have witnessed first hand how Uber cancer has attacked Heathrow area like a tornado. I have spoken to residents who have basically given up reporting to the local authorities including the Met police. 

Uber have formed migrant camps all over the Heathrow vicinities. Every available space from parks and lay-bys, from McDonald's to pub forecourts. From Hotel areas, to business car parks and Petrol forecourts. Areas like Sipson, Colnbrook and Stanwell. Etc etc. 

Uber have decimated the local minicab firms. It's as if the Calais camps have moved here lock stock and borrowed. Unless you have actually witnessed what has happened here first hand, you will not know the horror that has happened to once lovely areas. 

Bags of human waste are evident all over a five mile stretch. Apparently the locals state the smell from human waste in the parks that once housed children playing or the locals that use to walk their dogs etc. The stench in the air makes you vomit instantly. 

On my journey in most days, Uber cars are lined up on no waiting areas. Drivers asleep or openly using the spaces as toilets. These animals have no respect for any laws or for the local communities. 

Look at the video posted earlier, these residents are now prisoners in their own homes. Anarchy and scenes of Calas camps are now visable for all to witness. NO FEMALES are safe walking around these parts. 

TFL have caused this attack on lawful home owners, as well as the rest of us. Gangs of Uber migrants are openly doing as they would from camps in Greece and France. Words fail me right now. 

Unfortunately we live in a PC world where White middle classes have played their part in creating "No go camps". This has nothing to do with being racist at all. 

The London cab trade has all creeds and colours etc. We all have to live by rules and regulations. Unfortunately this uber disease has no such rulings in place. 

Welcome to Conservative way of giving these animals a chance up the ladder and look how they are paying us back. 

Thank you Cameron thank you TFL. 

And thank you Met Police. 

Corruption at the top has created Migrant camps out west!

Regards, Heathrow Taxi drivers 

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