The number of available taxis in Barrow has reduced because drivers cannot make a living, a councillor has claimed.
Les Hall (Hawcoat and Newbarns, Conservative) made the comments as councillors agreed to bring forward proposals to increase the maximum taxi fare in light of the cost of living crisis.
Members of the regulatory committee for Westmorland and Furness Council voted unanimously to raise the maximum fare hackney carriages charge.
Councillors will agree on a set per cent or set amount fares will rise by at a further meeting.
Cllr Hall said: “The price of insurance has gone through the roof and the number of taxis available, I can only speak for Barrow, is much reduced because drivers can’t make a living. We’ve got to do something, doing nothing is not an option.”
A report prepared for the meeting recommended councillors consider whether to modify the current table of maximum fares in each of the former districts or make no modification to the current tables of maximum fares.
Hackney taxis in the former district council areas of South Lakeland, Eden and Barrow Borough charge different fares and a unified taxi policy is due to be discussed in January 2024.
The report added: “To undertake a fare review at this time will result in extra workload for officers at a time where the officers are currently in the process of updating all policies in relation to licensing functions and developing a unified policy for taxi licensing.
“If members consider that a review is to be undertaken now, work on the new taxi licensing policy would be delayed.”
Cabinet member for finance, councillor Andrew Jarvis (Windermere and Ambleside, Lib Dems) was critical of the recommendations put forward by officers and said he recognises officers are busy but would have liked to have seen an increase in fares proposed as an interim measure before a tariff review.
He said: “I don’t think it’s fair at a time where we’ve had 10 per cent inflation we should say to taxi drivers we’re going to stick our heads in the ground and not consider a fair increase.”
Tariffs were last reviewed in South Lakeland in April 2022 and in Barrow in September 2022.
