Uber granted Blackpool licence despite objections from local operators

Uber has been granted a license to operate in Blackpool despite protests from resort’s taxi trade.

Local council licensing officers said the company fulfilled all the criteria for a private hire operator’s license, which will allow local drivers to work under a Blackpool license.

Cllr Paula Burdess, cabinet member for community safety, street scene and neighbourhoods, told a council meeting there was “nothing to call into question the fitness and propriety of the applicant”.

Some Uber drivers had already been working in Blackpool, but were licensed by other local authorities, mainly Wolverhampton. The move means Blackpool Council will be able to monitor and inspect Uber drivers who are licensed with them.

But existing operators are unhappy with the decision. In June drivers from established taxi firms, including C-Cabs, Premier Cabs and Blacktax, joined a town centre protest against the influx of out-of-town drivers.

But Cllr Burdess said: “The issues raised by local taxi drivers about drivers licensed outside of the area could not lawfully be considered in relation to this application. This application was purely about Uber’s suitability to hold an operator’s licence.”

She added: “I know that the arrival of Uber in Blackpool is worrying for the existing taxi trade. Independent retailers and hoteliers have faced the same concerns over the years when national and international companies have started operating here. There is nothing we can do, or should do, to stop businesses coming to Blackpool if they are legally allowed to and are operating within the law.”