Posted on the 17th March 2026 in PHTM News

DERBY COUNCILLORS REJECT "RIDICULOUS" PLAN TO BAN THEM FROM TAXI DRIVER MEETINGS

Councillors have struck down a controversial proposal that would have blocked them from attending face-to-face meetings with the taxi trade.

Council officers had suggested that future talks should only include senior staff and drivers to avoid "political bias" and "maintain absolute impartiality, fairness, and transparency in the council’s licensing functions."

The plan was sparked by concerns that having elected members in the room could be "perceived as interference" and might disqualify them from making official legal decisions later.

However, Labour councillors on the licensing committee reacted with fury during a meeting last Thursday 12 March, labelling the idea "ridiculous."

Councillor Sara Bolton, who has previously claimed the council had "lost its way" with the taxi trade, was highly critical of the move.

"It feels as if, reading the report, the officers don’t want councillors there because we ‘interfere’," she said.

"But we have a job to do. We are elected by our people in our wards and by the city. We need to know what’s going on."

Councillor Martin Rawson agreed, arguing that talking to drivers is essential to the job.

"What the paper is saying is that members of this committee can’t have any conversational dialogue with members of the trade," he said. "A core part of our role is understanding the issues and the concerns of the trade."

While some Conservative members supported the plan to "remove the chance for any political bias," the majority of the committee voted to reject the recommendations.

Despite legal advice that the plan followed national guidelines, the councillors insisted that they must remain part of the conversation to properly represent the city and its drivers.


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