A COUNCIL left in a flap over a Saltire cab row is to reconsider its rules, The National can reveal.

Rob Jamieson’s blue-and-white private hire car – and the outcry around an order to remove its Saltire decals – has made him well known in the Stirlingshire area where he operates.

Officials said the roof and bonnet decorations meant his Saltire Taxis & Tours car was in breach of local regulations which outlaw signage.

However, Jamieson told The National he’d secured verbal permission for the distinctive stripes in two calls to Stirling Council, before paying £1000 to have them fitted.

The issue has seen his local SNP and Tory councillors Evelyn Tweed and Martin Earl unite to challenge the regulations, which were laid down eight years ago and say nothing about the bearing of flags on hire vehicles, which is allowed in some other regions.

READ MORE: Council agrees to review bizarre rule banning Saltires on private hire car

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A closed-door meeting has now been held at which decision-makers agreed to carry out a rule review.

The results are expected in the new year.

At the private talks, it was also agreed that Jamieson should be allowed to keep his flags flying, pending the outcome.

Jamieson, from Killin, said: “I’m absolutely delighted. To me, that says they know that their rules and regulations need to be looked at.

“People on Facebook have told me they’ve emailed the council about it – every day someone says to me, ‘Are you that guy?’

“They all say the exact same thing – ‘What are the council thinking?’”

Since May 2017, Stirling Council has been run in partnership by SNP and Labour.

Councillor Tweed said a review “might help this situation”, while Councillor Earl said the flag issue may raise new opportunities for the local authority. He said: “We had the meeting with officers and we agreed there was ambiguity around what defines signage.

“This has provided a perfectly reasonable opportunity to review the rules. It’s a sensible, pragmatic thing to do.”

Considerations in the review, Earl suggests, could include whether or not to allow advertising on private hire cabs under new licensing rules which would see an additional fee paid to the local authority.

Similar regimes are already in force in some other areas of Scotland. Earl said: “Everyone is always talking about the need for more money. This might be one way for us to get some.”

Under existing rules, the size and placement of signage on private hire cars is limited. However, Jamieson argues that the Saltires on his car are not adverts, but national emblems.