Councillor calls for a UK Constitutional Convention

The price of a Rutherglen and Cambuslang taxi is set to stay the same.

Councillors on a licensing committee last week agreed there would be no increase in the fares tariff in the two towns or in East Kilbride.

Officers advised no representations were received and that at a committee in March they agreed “the fares review would take place on the basis that there would be no increase to the current tariff in each zone.”

However, if the trade are not satisfied with the decision, they have a right to appeal to the Traffic Commissioner.

A tariff of £ 2.40 will continue for the first 880 yards of a journey with an additional 20p every 220 yards.

That means an average two mile hire of £4.80. A Rutherglen councillor has called for the federal reform of the UK.

Councillor Robert Brown, who is number one on the Lib Dem list for Glasgow at next year’s Scottish election, made the call after initial plans for English Votes f o r E n g l i s h L aws were withdrawn by the Conservative Government.

He said: “It is time we had a UK Constitutional Convention to develop a proper written constitution for Britain, and a set up which balances the powers needed for Scotland and the other nations and regions of the UK against the powers needed for the proper working of the United Kingdom.

“The speech made by the Prime Minister on the day after the referendum and now the ill thought out plan for how to deal with issues affecting England only have led to an unworkable guddle and a constitutional disaster in the making.

“The only way to create a sustainable, stable, constitutional settlement for the United Kingdom is by way of carefully considered change along federal lines through a Constitutional Convention for Britain.

“There is a problem as to how best to devolve power to the regions and communities of England, and this must be dealt with – but only as part of a properly considered programme of reform, involving cross party agreement.

“Given the scale of criticism, the Prime Minister should abandon these proposals altogether and do things properly.

“We cannot have the future of the United Kingdom at the mercy of a half baked scheme designed to suit the Tories.”