Oswestry taxi marshalling scheme declared a success

A pilot project to reduce anti-social behaviour in Oswestry by making sure people get into taxis safely following a night out has been a great success.

Taxi marshalling was trialled by Shropshire Council over the Christmas and New Year period, and the scheme could now become a regular fixture in the town centre.

The scheme works by having two Security Industry Authority (SIA) registered marshalls standing at the taxi rank, making sure people act sensibly while waiting for taxis.  The idea is that the potential for trouble can be reduced by helping people to queue for taxis and nipping any public disorder in the bud.

The council’s Cabinet member responsible for licensing, Councillor Cecilia Motley, said:

“It’s pleasing to see that this scheme has been successful, and we will have to wait and see if funding can be found to make it a regular feature.  Anything we can do to make the streets safe is a good thing and I hope it can carry on.”

Councillor Martin Bennett, Shropshire Council member for Oswestry East, said:

“I welcome the initiative as helping to ensure that people have a safe end to an evening out in Oswestry.  This helps to support the local economy, by giving people the confidence that they can get into, and out of the town without any problems.  I hope that funding can be found to enable it to continue.”

Fellow Oswestry East councillor, Bill Benyon, added:

“I hope we can find funding for the scheme to continue.”

Shropshire Council is now exploring whether funding can be secured to have two marshalls stationed in Willow Street on weekend nights on a regular basis in the future.