London Mayor faces public grilling around wheelchair user access, driver mental health and taxi turn

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan will face several questions from the London Assembly relating to the taxi industry during Mayor’s Question Time on Thursday 16th May.
Topics will include concerns around wheelchair user taxi accessibility in the capital, the potential mental health issues surfacing within the industry and the subject of the taxi vehicle turning circle.
Assembly Member David Kurten, will grill the Mayor by asking Khan if he will ensure that taxis will continue to be able to serve wheelchair users in all parts of London. This question comes as the taxi industry faces the threat of diminishing access to key roads within London.
Kurten is also keen to highlight the fact that some taxi drivers are in fear of having their licences revoked or suspended if they receive help or medication they may desperately need from their GP for issues relating to mental health illness. The Brexit Alliance Group Assembly Member will ask what he intends to do to increase support for drivers suffering from mental health illness issues and what assurances he can give that their licences will not be revoked if they report to TfL that they are receiving counselling or taking medicine for a mental health condition. Assembly Members Caroline Pidgeon and Keith Prince will both broach the contentious subject of the iconic taxi turning circle. They will look to see whether the Mayor has considered reviewing the Taxi Conditions of Fitness, especially with regard to the turning circle requirement and what the justification for the retention of this policy is.
Image: Greater London Authority