Peterborough city councillors have passed a motion calling on the government to provide funding support for CCTV installation in taxis and establish a nationally regulated standard for all licensed taxi and private hire vehicles across England and Wales

The motion, spearheaded by Labour councillor Mohammed Jamil, requires the city council to write to the Secretary of State for Transport and two local MPs, urging their support.

The proposal aims to eliminate current discrepancies in local authority regulations. As the motion stated: "Some local authorities have made CCTV installation mandatory, others have left it voluntary, and some have prohibited it altogether." 

It added that these "inconsistencies extend to data protection, storage, and access arrangements, resulting in confusion, inequality, and an uneven playing field across the trade."

The push for mandatory CCTV follows a petition created several months prior by independent councillor Daisy Blakemore-Creedon. During the full council meeting on December 3, Cllr Blakemore-Creedon expressed her support but raised a point of clarification regarding potential evasion. "How is off-duty defined? Because what prevents a driver from claiming to be off-duty to avoid recording?" she questioned.

Cllr Jamil responded by defining the key distinction: "She asked a question about off-duty status. The difference between all that is when you're off-duty, you're not with a fee-paying passenger. That's the distinction between the two."

Support for the motion crossed party lines, with councillors highlighting the safety benefits for all involved. Liberal Democrat councillor Chris Wiggin stressed the dual benefit, stating: "CCTV is not just about protecting vulnerable passengers and giving them peace of mind, but also protecting the drivers from verbal and physical abuse, fare dodgers and false accusations."

Independent councillor Amjad Iqbal insisted that government financial support was crucial. He pointed out that: "Many drivers in Peterborough are self-employed and are already facing rising costs. Requiring mandatory CCTV installation without offering any support would place an additional and unnecessary financial burden on them."

Conservative member Cllr Steve Allen proposed an alternative: offering a reduced licence cost for taxis that install CCTV.

The motion marks a reversal in policy, as Peterborough councillors voted to reject proposals for mandatory in-vehicle CCTV just last December.

The passage of Cllr Jamil's motion commits Peterborough City Council to the following actions:

• Writing to the Secretary of State for Transport, Andrew Pakes MP, and Sam Carling MP to urge support for a nationally regulated standard for all licensed taxi and private hire vehicles across England and Wales.

• Requesting the Department for Transport work with stakeholders to develop and implement this national framework.

• Emphasising that a consistent national approach will address cross-border operation and ensure uniform safety and data protection standards.

• Calling upon the government to provide funding support, grants, or financial assistance to help drivers with the installation and maintenance costs.

• Reaffirming the council's commitment to advocating for fair, consistent, and evidence-based national regulation.

• Share on Facebook
• Share to X