A “deluge” of taxis licensed in other areas has prompted South Kesteven District Council to lobby the Government to ensure local licensing for local drivers.
Council Leader Cllr Ashley Baxter is responding to concerns raised at SKDC’s Licensing Committee and other public meetings, where Wolverhampton-licensed vehicles operating in South Kesteven were highlighted.
Fears were voiced that current rules allow Hackney Carriage and Private Hire operators licensed outside the district to restrict SKDC’s ability to monitor and manage drivers who do not comply with legislation and good practice guidance.
Cllr Baxter has written to Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood MP about a loophole which allows drivers and vehicles to avoid SKDC standards by operating under licence from areas where the bar may be set lower.
He said: “Because of this, drivers who would not qualify for a licence from South Kesteven, or might even have had a licence refused or revoked by us, are enabled to trade in our District.
“Wolverhampton City Council has approximately 35,000 licensed taxi and private hire drivers, compared to 350 in South Kesteven. Does Wolverhampton really need 100 times as many licensed drivers as South Kesteven?
“The overall number of taxi and private hire drivers in our district has remained relatively constant in recent years. Many survived the significant impact of Covid but now face increasing financial pressure due to unfair competition from drivers licensed by other authorities.”
SKDC recently updated policies in line with the Statutory Guidance (2021) and the Best Practice Guidance (2023) which encourages “provision of safe, accessible, available, and affordable services that meet the wide range of passenger needs by a thriving trade”.
Cllr Baxter added: “Unfortunately, South Kesteven is suffering a deluge of vehicles licensed by other local authorities. This is having a detrimental effect on local drivers and operators.
“In response to requests from our elected members and officers, I am pushing for anomalies and loopholes to be resolved in the interests of the livelihoods of our hard-working taxi-drivers and operators as well as the safety of passengers.
“I have written to the Under-Secretary to request that either the cross-border licensing loophole is closed, or that a national statutory policy or legislation is considered to enable the provision of safe, accessible, available, and affordable services that meet the wide range of passenger needs by a thriving trade by all Licensing Authorities.”
The issue was raised at the most recent Licensing Committee, when the implementation of the Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy was reviewed. The committee agreed to set up a workshop with licence-holders and the public for further feedback.