THE arrival of a new taxi drivers' forum has been hailed as a step forward in improving relations between cabbies and Worcester City Council.

Councillor Francis Lankester, cabinet member for safer and stronger communities, is supporting the idea.

As we reported last week, Guildhall chief executive David Wareing has agreed to chair a new forum where taxi drivers can discuss problems.

The forum has now been given the seal of approval by licensing chiefs, and will go ahead on Monday, June 25.

Worcestershire County Council, the police and the South Worcestershire Safety Partnership will also attend.

Coun Lankester said: "The idea of this forum is to sort out where everyone is coming from, so everyone knows the views of each organisation.

"One of the problems we have had is a lack of communication, organisation and clarity and I'm very optimistic this forum will enable people to discuss issues so that taxi drivers' standards, and the safety of passengers, can be improved. I see it as a strong way forward. It brings everyone together, and having David Wareing, our chief executive, as the chairman is a logical way to go about it."

Opinion from the forum, which is hoped to be the first of many, will be fed back to bosses at the Guildhall.

Anne Murphy, secretary of the Worcester Taxi Drivers Association, said: "The forum may not have any decision-making power but if it can help inform the trade and raise the profile of it - that has to be a good thing."

Relations between taxi drivers and the Guildhall were strained earlier in the year after the city council made a report public revealing 40 per cent of taxis stopped in a spot-check operation were unsafe.

And on Saturday we reported how two thirds of taxi drivers had been warned they could lose their licences if they continued to ignore requests to collect official guidebooks.

The city council was furious that 264 drivers, owners and operators had failed to pick up their handbooks.