UTAG Statement to members - Proposed Road Closures

Dear Member,

We hope you and your loved ones are keeping well in these strange and uncertain times.

You are likely to be aware that we, as a trade that we are facing an onslaught of proposed road closures across many boroughs, including the City of London and TfL roads.

The speed and extent of these proposals, if not challenged, will have an extremely detrimental effect on our trade and passengers, especially the disabled, affecting our ability to make a sustainable living.

UTAG was formed to preserve the future of the profession we trained so hard to be part of via a series of legal challenges; it is the Directors and Steering Committees unanimous view that the road closures has usurped everything else, and has singularly become the most important issue before us. 

Without a road network, we are unable to ply our trade.

Therefore, we have proactively instructed our QC and Legal Team to prepare a Generic Statement of Claim against our exclusion from roads where buses and permitted vehicles, excluding Taxis, continue to have access.

This would allow us to request a Statutory Hearing in the High Court should it be necessary to do so.

Although no firm exclusions have been enacted yet, and while we wait for final confirmation of which roads/bridges we may or may not use, UTAG along with the LTDA believe that it is prudent to prepare for legal action, therefore, we have agreed to work collaboratively with them and co-fund the legal action(s). 

As these proposals are being brought in under the auspices of Covid-19 social distancing measures, they will be deemed temporary measures (temporary can be 18 months) by which time substantial structural damage can be done to our trade. 

Time pressures are upon us, as the trade shall have only 6 weeks to challenge said closures. 

The 6-week window starts from when the order is made, not the implementation of the restrictions; that is why we believe that we must prepare to act now, as announcements could come at any time.

We trust that you agree that this fight could be vital for our trade and that we must prepare as if it will go ahead. We shall of course keep you updated as matters progress.

Thank you for your unswerving trust and loyal support.

Very best wishes,

Angela Clarkson & Trevor Merralls

Directors

United Trade Action Grou