THE majority of Hampshire’s councils are on track to support new government legislation to protect disabled taxi users from discrimination.

Three authorities, Southampton City Council, New Forest District Council and Test Valley Borough Council, have all completed the necessary work to implement the new legislation.

The changes aim to prevent taxi drivers with wheelchair-accessible vehicles from ignoring disabled passengers.

Eastleigh, Gosport and Winchester councils plan to complete the work later this year, while Fareham has said it will at some point in the future.

The work involves creating a list of taxi drivers who are able to carry disabled passengers in their vehicles.

Drivers on the list who refuse to pick up a disabled passenger or attempt to charge them extra can be fined up to £1,000.

Despite being announced in April, research by disability activist Doug Paulley has revealed that fewer than half of the 67 councils in the South East are set to create Section 167 lists by the government’s recommended October deadline.

Of those, 17 council in the south east have no plans to create a list at all, including most of Surrey and West Sussex.

Ian Hall, chairman of Southampton’s Hackney Association, backed the changes.

Mr Hall, a taxi driver for more than 35 years, said: “I haven’t got a problem with it at all.

“I think it’s about time that we did something to regulate this.”