The ongoing saga of Warrington Borough Council vs Pink Ladies came to a head today in court, when District Judge Ross ruled against Pink Ladies, stating that the members club does not exist.

The two day trial, which ended this morning, with the Judge giving the decision that in his opinion Pink Ladies is not a genuine members club, and in that case he ruled that the organisation is just a taxi firm.

This flew in the face of all the members activities that Pink Ladies has undertaken in the past – travel agency, last minute holiday discounts, discounts in shops, restaurants and other outlets in Warrington, and the regular news letters.  

But Judge Ross stated that because there were no terms and conditions sent out with membership welcome packs, the club was a “sham”.

Pink Ladies was formed in 2005 by Tina Dutton and Andrea Winders, in response to concerns for safety of women travelling alone – particularly at night.  

In the interim period there have been many meetings between the Council and Pink Ladies, regarding licensing of the cars, drivers and operation – both sides had differing opinions.

Pink Ladies argument centred around the ownership of the cars, including all running costs, which were met by the fees from members joining the club.

When members called Pink Ladies they would book a driver and pay for her time, using a car from the members’ club fleet.  This is where Pink Ladies argued their model fell outside licensing law.

“It is a very sad day for common sense” said Andrea, “as an organisation we provide an excellent service for the women of Warrington.  I cannot believe that they would have taken this action had they undertaken a gender impact assessment.  

We have around 15000 members in the area, and without Pink Ladies they would not have a life – I cannot see how the Council could not accept that this number of members’ voices as a significant percentage of the female population of the town, and therefore suggest that the Council’s actions would have a massive impact on this vulnerable section.”

However, the resilience of the founders has come into play once again, as the pair refuse to be beaten by bureaucracy.

The first step is an extraordinary meeting of members 30th July 2009 at Winwick Club, Townsfield Lane, Winwick at 7pm.  This will be followed by the ratification of the members club as a not-for-profit organisation, allowing a license under community transport legislation.

“We often get requests to talk to schools in the local area, as inspiration for girls, and we always give students the message ‘never accept no’,” said Tina, “although we are desperately disappointed in the decision, we know that our service is needed not only in Warrington but throughout the country.  We have always been trying to find a way to operate nationally, and by forcing this action upon us, Warrington Borough Council has actually opened the way to our future.”

“We now call upon our members in Warrington to show their support – even if they have registered but never activated their accounts.  It is time to stand up and be counted,” added Andrea, “we need as many ladies as possible to come to the meeting, and we request their ongoing support, as the organisation continues.”