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BIKERS NOT 'TAX CHEATS' SAYS LEADING INSURER
WHEN
specialist motorcycle insurer Bikesure has criticised government
claims that 38% of bikers were breaking the law by evading road tax,
but the Department for Transport (DfT) remained silent on the
matter. Now the DfT's has released new figures that appear to back
Bikesure's claims.
Bikesure, one of the biggest insurers of biking enthusiasts in the
UK, said that the DfT's original figures were flawed and
misrepresented the biking community. They led to vitriolic comments
attacking the biking community from Edward Leigh MP, which were
widely reported in the media. "Motorcyclists are particularly
liable to evade road tax. Nearly 40% of motorcycles are now
unlicensed…large parts of the biking community are cocking a snook
at the law".
Bikesure claimed that there were major flaws in the Department for
Transport's logic and statistics. When they approached the DfT for
clarification, the Department remained silent.
"The survey methodology was mistaken, and it was compounded by basic
errors. We wonder if simple prejudice against bikers led to the
wrong conclusions being drawn." said Robert Balls of
Bikesure.
DfT admits mistakes, but still no apology, and the figures are still
suspect! In an update to the figures, issued on 14 February 2008,
the DfT admitted that:- "Evasion estimates for 2007 are not
directly comparable with those from previous years.
Misread registration marks had tend to inflate estimates of
evasion."
Their statement adds up to a breathtaking conclusion, the evasion
estimates reported last year (2007) for motorcycles were probably
overestimated by staggering 300%. Put another way, the headline 38%
evasion figure reported last year, and repeated last month by MP
Edward Leigh, were roughly four times higher than they should have
been!
So, rather than nearly 40%, the figure the DfT quotes now is 9.8%.
But Bikesure still isn't satisfied. Robert Balls explains:-
"First the sample size is very small - that makes the error margin
over 50%, so (even taking nothing else into account) the figures for
bikers could be as low as 4.7%. Second, for collecting the data on
motorcycles they didn't use Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)
cameras (as they did for cars), but instead relied on contractors
standing by the side of the road with a clipboard. Inevitably these
guys are going to write down the wrong number more often than an
ANPR computer, since the computer doesn't have to deal with the
effects of a high speed movement.
The original ridiculously high figure of 38% should have made the
MPs use their common sense instead of taking statistics at face
value. Even ignoring the fact that the current figures look dodgy
too, we think at the very least the MPs owes bikers in general an
apology.
And there ought to be an admission from the statisticians that they
managed to cock up the figures so spectacularly. Next time they do a
survey maybe they should talk to a few bikers, or at least people
who know bikers."
What are your views on this? Email our newsroom with your comments
at:-
news24@southportreporter.com. |
Merseyside Apprentices get involved in Capital of Culture
THE Southport
and Ormskirk Hospital NHS Trust is pleased to welcome two new faces
to its Trust Board. David Rainey, from Southport and Rodney Dykes of
Hillside, joined the Trust as a Non-executive Directors on 1
February 2008, they have been appointed for two years and four years
respectively.
As a Hospital Trust providing comprehensive acute care to the
240,000 or so population of Sefton and West Lancashire, we are
obliged by law to have a Trust Board that includes a Chair and five
Non-executive Directors.
Messrs Rainey and
Dykes join the Board the resignation of Michele Carberry and the end
of Michael Eastwood's term of office.
They were appointed
in accordance with the Commission for Public Appointments' Code of
Practice.
David Rainey was trained as a communications engineer in BT and
spent the early part of his working life as an engineering manager.
His career progressed through a number of technical, sales and
general management positions where he had responsibility for BT's
business with some of the world's largest multinational companies.
As a consequence of this he has worked in Europe, North America and
Asia Pacific.
Between 1996 and 2004 David was General Manager of BT Health, the
division of BT responsible for BT's business relationship with the
NHS. During this period his interest grew in healthcare and he
is a member of the Royal Society of Medicine Open Section Steering
Group.
In March 2004 he
retired from BT and has continued to work as an independent
management consultant.
Originally from the West of Scotland, David has lived in Southport
for the last 19 years. He is married with three grown up sons.
Rodney Dykes has lived in Formby and Southport for over 30 years.
Until his retirement in 2007 he was Managing Director of RDHS
Limited, a housing management consultancy based in Formby. He is a
Fellow of both the Chartered Institute for Housing and of the
Chartered Institute of Environmental Health.
After working as an Environmental Health Officer in local
authorities, he was deputy chief executive of two major housing
associations before setting up his company, RDHS Ltd, which he ran
for over 25 years.
He is also a Trustee of Henshaws Society
for Blind People.
He was Deputy Chair of the Liverpool
Housing Action Trust for a period of 10 years until 2005.
Rodney lives in Hillside and has three children and three
grandchildren all of whom live locally.
Commenting on the new appointments, Sir Ron Watson, Chair of the
Trust said:- "I am please to welcome both Rodney and David to
our Board following on from the recent appointment of Helen
Thompson.
We now have a
refreshed Board with a wide range of experience and a good
geographical spread across our area.
The Trust will
continue to work with our partner organisations, particularly the
PCTs, to ensure the best level of service to the varied population
we serve."
All Non-executive appointments are made on merit and political
activity plays no part in the selection process.
However, in accordance with the original
Nolan recommendations, there is a requirement for appointee's
political activity (if any) to be made public; neither Mr Rainey nor
Mr Dykes have declared any.
Similarly, details of
any other Ministerial appointments held are to be declared, but
again neither Mr Rainey nor Mr Dykes hold any.
They will be paid a
remuneration of £5,875 per annum. |
