A KEIGHLEY taxi boss is backing a councillor’s fight against drivers using Lancashire licenses in the town.

Bradford Council deputy leader, Councillor Val Slater, is spearheading a clampdown on drivers getting licenses from across the Pennines, where standards are allegedly lower.

She said she would not feel safe getting into a minicab that had got its licence from rural Rossendale Council instead of Bradford.

Stuart Hastings, the boss of private hire firm Metro Keighley, this week said he “absolutely backed” what Cllr Slater is saying.

He said: “I would not advise anyone to get into any car that was not under Bradford Council control.”

Last year, Mr Hastings said he refused to take on drivers who had Rossendale licenses, and other private hire bosses expressed concern about the problem.

The issue blew up again this week as Cllr Slater claimed drivers who were turned down for licenses in Bradford were going to Rossendale.

She said she had not been able to convince Rossendale Council to tackle the problem.

Cllr Slater added: "We have tried, officers have tried, we have all tried to talk to their leader about why they are setting these low standards.

"I would not get in a private hire that was licensed in Rossendale."

Cllr Slater is urging anyone ordering minicabs in the Keighley area to specifically ask for ones with a Bradford licence.

She said: "If you want to be 100 per cent safe in a private hire, make sure it has got a Bradford plate on it. Ours are bright yellow."

Cllr Slater, whose portfolio includes taxi and private hire licensing, said Rossendale had lower standards for knowledge tests, English tests and criminal record checks.

Cabs with Rossendale licenses are also immune from Bradford Council's vehicle safety spot-checks.

Last month, an enforcement officer from Rossendale Council agreed to join Bradford staff on a spot-checking exercise.

Four Rossendale-licensed cars were pulled over, with officers finding problems with all four. Two were deemed so serious the cars were taken off the roads immediately.

Rossendale has 1,200 licensed hackney carriages in total, for its population of 65,000. In contrast, Bradford has just 222 hackney carriages, for a population of more than 500,000.

Cllr Slater said Bradford is also considering starting a 'scores on the doors' style rating scheme for minicab safety.

A spokesman for Rossendale Council said the authority is reviewing all its taxi policies and procedures to improve "our already robust application regime".

She rejected any claim Rossendale's cars were unsafe to use, calling the council’s officers “extremely pro-active”.

She added: “There is no evidence to support the allegation of drivers being refused a licence in Bradford going on to be granted a licence in Rossendale; year to date figures up to August show 63 per cent are refused at licensing sub committee.

"The suggestion our vehicles are unsafe is wholly unsubstantiated."