Posted on the 17th September 2025 in PHTM News
TAMWORTH COUNCILLOR CALLS FOR UK WIDE UNIFORM LICENSING OR BAN ON OUT OF AREA TAXIS
Tamworth councillors are calling for a change in national law to prevent taxi drivers from operating outside their licensing area, citing safety concerns including drivers reportedly wearing court-ordered tags and falling asleep at ranks.
The council has voted to write to the Government to express its concerns and demand regulatory reform in a move it said would protect passengers.
Currently, licensed taxi drivers can work anywhere in England and Wales, leading to varying standards and oversight across different local authorities.
Councillor Richard Kingstone brought the issue to the council, stating: "We need to make sure taxis are safe and the people driving them are indeed the people driving them and that they are fit and proper persons."
Kingstone cited photographic evidence sent to him by local drivers, showing "taxi drivers wearing tags issued by the court system, taxi drivers asleep in taxis while they are in taxi ranks and taxi drivers licensed outside our borough operating as hackney carriage drivers pulling into the station and picking up fares."
He called for a uniform licensing system across England to guarantee top-notch standards or a ban on taxis not licensed by Tamworth Borough Council from operating locally.
Kingstone singled out Wolverhampton City Council, which he claimed "issues between 12 to 18 per cent of all licences issued in England," generating millions in revenue.
He criticised the council's "confetti like issuing of taxi licences" and suggested a move to a uniform national licensing system.
The council voted in favour of writing to the Secretary of State for Transport and the chair of the transport select committee, which is currently conducting an inquiry into taxi and private hire vehicle licensing.
The move comes as statistics from 2024 to 2025 show Wolverhampton City Council had a significant increase in licensed drivers, with 49,983 total - a jump of 7,508 from the previous year.
In contrast to Wolverhampton's £128 fee for a new licence, Tamworth Borough Council charges £256.
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