Councillors have voted in favour of a basic skills test for taxi drivers in Walsall.

The scheme was given the go-ahead last night by Walsall Council’s licensing and safety committee despite being attracting misgivings among taxi firms.

Prospective cabbies and private hire drivers will have to demonstrate they can hold a 15-minute conversation with examiners, covering topics such as their favourite spots in the town, from September 1.

Council chiefs came up with the idea following concerns over the standard of foreign drivers’ standards of English.

Councillor Joan Barton told the meeting: “We had to interview a driver at an appeal hearing who brought his daughter to interpret for him. But it took us 45 minutes to get through it because he understood very little English.

“We want to be fair to taxi drivers, but something needs to be done.”

Councillor Mike Bird told the committee he felt some drivers hid behind the excuse they could not read or understand the licensing rules when they appeared before the licensing appeal panel.

They will also have to can pass a basic numeracy test and a reading test.

Drivers who fail will be offered training at Walsall College.

The committee agreed to implement an amended scheme with an interim report to be submitted after six months from September 1, and approved a £10 charge for the application.

Some other councils have already introduced similar tests.