A TAXI strike is on hold after councillors promised to meet with cabbies to thrash out solutions to their business problems.

Pendle Taxis Association had threatened to call a strike if taxi licensing fees were increased.

At a meeting of Pendle Council's Executive, councillors agreed to put up the charge by five per cent, but averted a strike by also agreeing to meet with the association's leaders to discuss the difficulties they say they face.

Cabbies had been strongly opposed to the hike, saying it was unjustified.

They argued that times are hard for the trade as there is little business in Pendle and especially Nelson with few thriving pubs and clubs.

The increases were what you would expect in a metropolitan city and not a small town, they said.

And they blamed the council for pushing taxi drivers out of the area by pedestrianising Nelson and making it difficult to pick up fares.

Coun David Whipp said: "We have agreed that we will implement the five per cent increase but we have deferred the date to September 1.

"In the meantime we have called for a meeting between the council and the taxi operators to consider a range of issues affecting their business.

"It's clear it's not really the issue about the licensing fee that's upsetting the taxi operators, but underlying problems affecting their business.

"We want to try to resolve these problems."

Coun Whipp said problems included too many taxis and not enough trade with the council's preference for limiting the amount of taxi drivers operating clashing with the Government's agenda to allow a free market.

There are also problems with "rogue" firms operating outside the reg-ulations.

Association chairman Mohammad Akram said: "We have been promised a meeting with the council in the near future when we hope the problems will be addressed.

"Everything is on hold at the moment.

"We are just waiting for that meeting and to see what the outcome is and then we will take it from there."

The licence fee increases will see a Hackney carriage driver pay £216, up from £206, for a year's licence, and private hire drivers £196, up from £187.