ANGER is mounting over controversial council plans to send all Southampton cabbies back to school and fit cameras in their cars.

Trade representatives yesterday won more time to persuade councillors to rethink new rules for the city’s 1,100 drivers.

They claimed the council had failed to consult them properly on proposals for compulsory BTEC qualifications in transporting passengers by taxi, digital cameras in cabs, and extra six monthly MoT tests.

Council chiefs insist the new licensing conditions were needed to tackle a “poor overall” standards in the trade after complaints doubled in the past two years and at least ten cars had to be taken of the road because they were dangerous. They said they had sent letters to all drivers and proprietors – but only got 41 replies.

But council solicitor Richard Ivory said it was the best ever response and he said the changes were “long overdue”.

Yet after hearing from the trade union and taxi firm bosses, councillors on the licensing panel voted to defer a decision pending further consultations.

Unite cab section chairman Perry McMillan slammed BTECs for experienced drivers as “unnecessary”.

Concerns were also raised about the cost and use of £625 cameras in cabs.

Around 110 of the city’s 550 private hire and 263 Hackney Carriages taxis already have them installed.

But the council, which says they will reduce crime and disorder and improve driver safety, admitted images have only been dowloaded a dozen times in the past two years.

Some taxi drivers and firms in Southampton have already signed up to take the BTECs.