FED up Rossendale cabbies agreed to call off strikes after reaching ‘an amicable compromise’ with council officials over a new licensing policy.

Glen Bulcock, the Chairman of the Taxi Association and Dave Lawrie, of the Public Protection Association, represented Valley taxi drivers when they met with Council leader Tony Swain and the Council’s Director of Business Stuart Sugarman.

The meeting was called to try and prevent drivers going on strike in protest of the new licensing and enforcement policies.

During the meeting at the council offices in Bacup, more than 150 cabbies gathered in the car park.

Mr Lawrie said: “It was a very amicable meeting and a compromise was reached resulting in all planned strikes being cancelled.

“We are going to work with the council on the policy and restructuring liaison to make sure we never get to this stage again.

“The Leader of the Council was very understanding and sympathetic to our cause. He said he hadn’t realised the full impact of the policy.

“We can all now get back to providing good customer service.”

Drivers were objecting to a number of measures in the new policy, including having to retake their Driving Standards Agency test if they reach nine penalty points within three months.

Almost 300 drivers voted to strike and they had gained the support of neighbouring drivers in Burnley and Hyndburn who said they would refuse to send taxis into the Valley to cover the strikes.

A council spokesman said it was ‘pleased’ to have reached a resolution and that officers would meet with Taxi Trade representatives soon to work on the policy further.