FURIOUS cabbies are to fight plans for dearer testing and licensing.

Private hire drivers and operators organised a mass meeting to decide on action and are planning a demonstration when Blackburn Council meets next week to approve the rule changes.

The drivers plan to form an association and claim all 26 firms in Blackburn and Darwen support their claims.

More than 200 drivers packed into Bangor Street Youth and Community Centre to discuss their next move. And the organisers were furious councillors and officers refused to attend.

The only politician who appeared was Tory election candidate Geeta Sidhu.

One organiser, Ishtiaq Akbar, said: "The changes mean it will cost drivers £451 to put a car on the road before tax and insurance. We want a fair set of charges and independent testing stations. At the moment the whole set-up favours the council. "The drivers are given 24 hours for re-tests but every time you try to book into the testing station you are told to come back later.

Jim Bowie, a TGWU official, who was at the meeting, said: "These proposals from Blackburn Council would make the borough one of the most expensive areas in the North West for operators. How many taxi drivers will be forced to sign on the dole before this Labour council starts taking notice of working men?"

Council licensing chairman Mike Madigan said: "Councillors get a lot of invitations to attend meetings just before the elections and it is party policy not to."

He added: "Something must be done to tackle the appalling problems in the private hire trade.

"The recent checks we carried out proved nothing has been done to tackle the problems.

"I have every sympathy with the decent operators but our first responsibility must lie with the safety of Blackburn people who use taxis and private hire cars."

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