City of York councillors criticised over handling of Uber

City of York council officers have been criticised by pre-eminent licensing barrister, Gerald Gouriet QC over their stance pertaining to the licensing of Uber.

Representatives of York’s licensed taxi industry, asked Mr Gouriet to submit an opinion after they found responses to their concerns from officials at the City of York council to be inadequate. According to MinsterFM, Matt Boxhall, Acting Head of Public Protection, along with Mary Weastell, Chief Executive of the council, have been furnished with a communique from Mr Gouriet, expressing his legal opinion. Mr Gouriet has quoted the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act (1976), sections 46 (1)(d) in his summing up of the situation. This particular section of legislation means that drivers may bring people into an area for which they are not licensed for but is forbidden to then pick up somebody in that same area. York’s cabbies have stated that when Uber’s licence was initially refused by York City Council, they should not have still been allowed to continue to operate. City of York council have now forwarded Mr Gouriet’s communique to their legal advisors for consideration in relation to the QCs legal opinion.