JUST four months after council chiefs claimed that Southampton cabbies could all speak English, a tourism board is spending taxpayers’ cash to send foreign drivers back to the classroom.

As well as improving their language skills, cabbies also need to smarten up their dress and their knowledge of the city, tourism bosses say.

They are now paying for Afghan and Somali drivers to take a seven-week English language course.

Council chiefs were unaware of the new scheme, which throws doubts on their claims that all drivers are vetted to make sure that they speak a good standard of English.

Last year the authority brought in basic English skills tests alongside informal oral assessments. But Tourism South East (TSE) fears the poor English of some drivers is giving a bad impression of the city to visiting cruise passengers.

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They are also being taught about the city’s landmarks and attractions, as well as customer service skills and being encouraged to improve their dress sense. One taxi firm has already kitted out its drivers with smart uniforms.

The move by tourism chiefs comes just two months after the council threatened taxi drivers with having their licences suspended if they did not take down stickers bearing the St George Cross and the slogan “English speaking driver”.

Drivers claimed that the stickers were a protest at standards, but they were labelled racist by an equality charity.

The council insisted that drivers have to pass strict tests to get a licence.

But TSE’s Sarah Davis said that the council may have been too lax on English skills.

“Some taxi drivers aren’t giving the best impression of Southampton,” she said.

“We’ve had some complaints about them not being able to speak a good enough level of English to understand people.

“Because the cruise ships are worth so much to the city we don’t want them to be giving the wrong impression of the city.”

TSE is spending about £1,500 for ten hackney carriage drivers to sit an ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) course at a city hotel, leading to a level two exam. It follows an initiative two years ago to improve the welcome taxi drivers give visitors, amid concerns that they were wearing scruffy clothing and hoodies. Drivers from West Quay Cars, a private hire firm, who took part later introduced a uniform.

Southampton City Council last year introduced a test in basic reading, writing and communication skills which drivers must sit to get a licence.

It says that its licensing officers have always assessed all applicants to make sure that they speak a good standard of English.

Deputy council leader Councillor Royston Smith said that no one had given him an example of a driver who could not speak English, and he claimed that TSE were going behind his back.

“I’m not very happy about it. If we have a problem we want it sorted. If drivers cannot speak English we need to know,” he said. “They don’t have to be great conversationalists. If they meet the minimum standards they will get a licence.”

Clive Johnson, chairman of the Southampton Trade Association, which represents hail and ride and private hire taxis, said: “When I last raised this we got accused of trouble-making.

There has got to be a problem if TSE has set up a programme to help them with their dialect.”

Mr Johnson said that poor English left drivers open to racial abuse.

Ian Hall, chairman of the Southampton Hackney Association, which put forward the drivers, said: “If we can present the trade in a better light then it’s got to be a good thing.”