Councillor says he has no sympathy for Taxi drivers who are cold while sitting on ranks and calls fo

According to Councillor Normal Briggs of Oldham, taxi drivers should invest in overcoats for during the winter months rather than leaving their cabs running to keep warm while waiting on ranks. In a bid to tackle air pollution, Briggs has proposed a new condition that would stop taxis from idling on ranks while they wait for jobs. Briggs said that it was ‘tough’ if drivers were cold and it was not right to leave your engine running to generate heat during the winter months. According to the Manchester Evening News, he told members of Oldham’s licensing committee that drivers who were cold get no sympathy from him. He simply said “get an overcoat.” During the meeting, Councillor Briggs said: “I went outside this morning and there was three taxis on the rank, all with the engines running. “They’re not getting any sympathy from me on that one. I worked outside for years and years when I was in contracting on building sites, they’re getting no sympathy from me.” John Garforth, the council’s trading standards and licensing manager, said it would be possible to introduce the new policy of ‘no idling while waiting’ and even joked that that the council could ‘buy them all a coat or a pair of gloves’.