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Council bosses have promised to investigate claims that some taxi companies have not paid drivers as part of a schools transport contract.

Union chiefs have said taxi firms in Kirklees that fail to pass on payments to drivers transporting key school workers should face losing their operating licences.

The GMB has also suggested that a licence review take place if an operator is found to have been withholding money from drivers.But withdrawing a licence could be unnecessarily punitive as all employed drivers would then lose their jobs.

In a development that has been described as "a potentially fraudulent scandal" GMB organiser Andrew Aldwinkle said the union was being contacted "most days" by drivers who have not been paid by their operator.
He said: "Taxi drivers have lost most of their income during the lockdown and to have this regular money withheld by greedy taxi bosses is another kick in the teeth."The GMB has asked Kirklees Council "to investigate every incident where a taxi driver is not being paid" and to explore whether the actions of some operators is fraudulent.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service understands that the council was first made aware of an issue a fortnight ago."It needs a council response. We need to have something in the contract that deals with something like this and with possibly some sort of reprimand.