Guest columnist: Stay safe and only use licensed taxis this Christmas

The Christmas party season is upon us and people across the district will be attending celebrations with friends, family and colleagues.
Coun Simon GreavesCoun Simon Greaves
Coun Simon Greaves

If you are out and having a drink, then please don’t drive.

And if you are taking a taxi home, please make sure it’s licensed.

Bassetlaw Council has introduced a wide range of measures to increase the standards, safety and protection of the travelling public.

By taking a licensed cab you can be safe in the knowledge that your driver has had an enhanced DBS check, that they have had an independent medical and have also participated in safeguarding vulnerable passenger training.

All licenced vehicles are inspected to a standard in excess of that of a normal MOT and newly licensed drivers have to pass a practical taxi driver assessment and knowledge test of the Bassetlaw area.

It has come to the attention of the licensing department that unlicensed cabs and drivers are operating illegally. If you choose to use one of these you have no way of knowing if your driver or vehicle is safe.

So please don’t take a risk, take a licensed cab instead.

Last week, athletes, coaches and volunteers gathered for the annual Bassetlaw Sports Awards, highlighting the fantastic achievements of local sports people over the course of the year.

Bassetlaw is a sporting district. And whilst the event focused on individual and team winners, credit and acknowledgement also needs to go to all the unsung heroes who work tirelessly behind the scenes and enable our athletes to reach and surpass their goals.

Finally, at this time of the year, in the run- up to Christmas it is very easy to overstretch financially.

And some people do turn to loan sharks and other illegal money lenders.

Please, please stay clear of using loan sharks.

If you borrow from a loan shark you will be caught in a web of debt that you may never be clear from.

It may seem like a good idea but you can quickly be trapped by high repayments where if you can’t afford to repay, they’ll take it back in other ways.

In Bassetlaw we have an excellent credit union, 2Shires, which you can save with over the course of a year and which also offers three different types of loan.

Find out more at www.2shires.org.uk or by calling 01909 500575.

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