FTA? advice on GLC permits
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NOW Dave Wetzel is telling us that "as British firms are already applying for GLC permits, it is obvious that they will be in a strong competitive position when the night and weekend ban is introduced" (CM, April 6).
Operators shouldn't be taken in by this: it's just Dave Wetzel being disingenuous again.
For the record, the GLC are prohibited from introducing their ban without the Secretary of State's consent. I'm told by GLC officials that "at present, therefore, the council is not proceeding towards implementing its proposals." Yet the GLC is at this very moment writing to companies "inviting" them to consider their permit requirements and what measures they might be prepared to adopt to satisfy the GLC that they deserve permits.
I don't doubt that some companies, naturally apprehensive about the consequences of "not cooperating", are yielding to these overtures. But the GLC cannot legally issue a single permit. And no operator's competitive position can be damaged by not applying for permits at the present time.
Despite Dave Wetzel's tactics, the FTA's advice to its members is unchanged: do nothing other than to make sure the GLC is aware of any adverse effects the ban would have on your operation.
D. W. McINTYRE Manager Planning and Traffic Services Freight Transport Association Tunbridge Wells