RHA declares war on newcomers without proper centres
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National objection campaign launched
by CM reporter WOULD-BE hauliers and own-account operators who do not have proper vehicle operating centres could soon be facing a national campaign of resistance from the Road Haulage Association.
The RHA has already launched objections on these grounds to four new 0 licence applications to be heard by the North Western Licensing Authority in Manchester on April 9 (CM February 28). Last week the RHA announced objections to applications to the North Western LA for operators' licences hy H. and G. Light Transport of Cheadle HuIme; A. Sanderson of Worsley, Manchester; .1. J. Wilson of Manchester; I. D. Griffiths of Northwich; and G. Rayn of Rochdale.
In each case the RHA quotes as its reason for objecting: "The applicant's operating centre is a private dwelling house, an establishment which on environmental and other grounds is unsuitable for the conduct of a road haulage undertaking".
This type of objection is a direct result of the new provisions on the 1974 Transport Act. These provisions came into force on January 1 and make it a necessity for all 0-licence applicants to satisfy the LA that they have a suitable operating centre.
Certain bodies — the RHA, Freight Transport Association, the police and local authorities and some trade unions — have for some time had the power to raise objections to 0licences on several grounds. Basically these centre around the question of whether an applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a licence.
All five bodies will now be able to launch objections under the latest provisions of the Act. Mr Bob Entwistle, assistant RHA secretary for the north western (eastern) area, told CM that the four objections due to be heard on April 9 would be treated as test cases.
'General onslaught'
If the objections proved successful it was likely that many similar objections in traffic areas throughout Britain would follow, he said. "It is a sort of general onslaught against these people who have not got any sort of suitable base, he added.
Mr Entwistle's comments came in the same week that the North Western LA, Mr C. R. Hodgson, commented that there was a need for a change in the objection procedure. In his annual report to the Secretary of State (see page 38). Mr Hodgson says: "There have been no objections to applications received during the year and I consider the time has come to look again at •the objection procedure". Pointing out that subscriptions for
Applications and Decisior, in his area had fallen fret 550 to 150, he suggests, thz "it would be better t legislate to abolish notificktion of applications an allow statutory objectors t make representations to th LA at any time during th currency of the licence".
A spokesman for th RHA in London con firmed to CM that th Manchester objections, th first of their kind under th new provisions, were bein treated as test cases. He said "We do sympathize witl local people when vehicle are constantly parked in th street. It gets the industry . bad name and lump everyone together."
An almost identical lin was taken this week by M Hugh Featherstone, direc tor-general of the FTA Speaking in Hull, M Featherstone said tha everyone was an environ mentalist at heart but "w, had to admit that the on thing likely to cause us t( burst a blood vessel was t( find a heavy artic parke( outside our front gate" There should he a shift o emphasis towards provid ing more overnight lorr: parking accommodation.
However, an FTA spokes man said this week that thi new powers of objectiot were "totally irrelevant" an would allow the Associatiot to say nothing to an LA tha he did not know already.