Councils fight 0-licence plan
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by Amanda Bradbury • Local authorities are to investigate how to strengthen their right to object to hauliers expanding the use of their operating centre following proposals to introduce continuous 0-licensing.
The authorities fear deregulation will remove their right of objection to intensity of use and size of vehicles operated: the proposals will not affect a haulier's obligation to advertise major changes in vehicle numbers.
The Association of County Councils, the Association of District Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities are to form a working party in the next few weeks to look at the proposed legislation.
The move follows concerns by some local authorities that public complaints about hauliers will be made much more difficult to resolve without use of the right to object to an auto
matic licence renewal.
But the Department of Transport's deregulation working party last week proposed that renewal after five years should only be automatic if no objections to the operation had been received in that time.
The 0-licence renewal should also be referred to the Traffic Commissioner if there are doubts about the repute, maintenance or financial obligations of the holder, the working party suggests.