From: garry thomas Sent: 12 March 2018 21:09 To: Licensing Subject: Appendix G Sir/Madam my view would be to scrap Appendix G. Exceptional quality is a given regardless to the age of a vehicle when providing a service to the public. If a vehicle has six or more defects on a 2017/18 plate or earlier do the same rules apply…a retest will not permitted ??? Reading through Appendix G the same standards are applied to all taxi vehicles pit tested by the council so why put an age limit on the vehicles, all vehicles should be fit for purpose. Everything is repairable on many types of vehicle, Appendix G …scraps the vehicle leaving the taxi owner and his employees without a business until another vehicle is purchased. I agree with the policy of presenting a vehicle in a good condition but when the vehicle is pit tested this brings in an “ open to interpretation problem “ with different testing mechanics/inspectors where a balanced and common sense approach seems to be elusive. If the council are looking to phase out older vehicles maybe a different approach is needed…open transparent discussion with taxi driver representatives BLOTA as to any plans the council has for the phasing out of older vehicles, a five year plan to help taxi owners/drivers make the transition to newer vehicles could be considered. I am sure there are number of policies that could be considered that could benefit both parties after some.. balanced dialogue. It would be good to here have some feedback on my remarks. Garry Thomas. http://www.blackpool.gov.uk/EmailDisclaimer/ This message has been scanned for inappropriate or malicious content as part of the Council's e-mail and Internet policies.