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Posted on the 11th March 2025 in PHTM News
SHROPSHIRE TAXI LICENCE FEES INCREASE SPARKS OPERATOR CONCERN OVER DISPARITY
Taxi licence fees in Shropshire are set to rise following approval by the council's Strategic Licensing Committee on 5 March. However, the new fee structure has drawn criticism from operators, who argue that renewal fees are unfairly higher than those for new applications in certain categories.
The approved changes mean that operators with up to 31 vehicles and one base will pay £417 for licence renewals, up from £371, while new applications in the same category will cost £375, up from £328. This discrepancy has prompted a strong reaction from at least one private hire operator.
"I honestly don’t care what the actual cost of any licence is but having a higher cost for a renewal of any licence than for a new licence doesn’t make sense," stated the operator in a letter to the council's licensing department.
They questioned the explanation that the difference was due to the higher volume of renewals, arguing: "There are surely many more renewals than new applications, therefore the cost per licence would be cheaper for renewals?"
Mandy Beever, transactional and licensing team manager at Shropshire Council, addressed the committee, explaining: "Within that process, the renewals have an extra stage because we send a renewal pack out to trade. So that’s an extra cost."
She also stated that: "we are allowed to charge extra fees to offset surplus and deficits within the renewals which aren’t attracted in the new applications. That is why renewals are slightly more expensive than new applications."
Beever further clarified that the overall taxi licensing department was "slightly in deficit," partly due to legislative changes extending operating licences from three to five years, which reduced the frequency of fee collection.
"Fundamentally, the council reduced the number of fees coming through," she said.
Despite the operator's concerns, the committee approved the report, implementing the fee increases.
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