Posted on the 25th June 2026 in PHTM News

NORTHUMBERLAND COUNCILLORS' ALARM OVER GOVERNMENT PLANS TO HAND TAXI LICENSING TO MAYORAL AUTHORITY

Northumberland councillors have raised serious concerns over new government proposals, currently out to consultation, that could strip the county council of its taxi licensing powers and hand them to the North East Strategic Mayoral Authority.

The government argues that because passengers frequently cross "invisible borders" between local authorities, the current system creates "inconsistent" standards. To fix this, ministers want to transfer licensing powers to regional transport bodies, which in the North East means the mayoral authority.

However, local officials are sceptical about how the plan would work. Speaking at a committee meeting on Tuesday 23 June, Councillor Alan Smith admitted he was "struggling to see how it would work in practice," while committee chairman Councillor Trevor Cessford voiced fears that the responsibility would sit with the mayor while the council would end up doing "all the work."

A major worry is Northumberland’s massive size and rural nature. Councillor Gordon Stewart, cabinet member for public safety, pointed out that Northumberland is England’s second-largest unitary authority by land area, featuring a unique mix of urban centres and remote, sparsely populated communities.

In his response to the consultation, Stewart warned: "A key concern for our local drivers is they could be forced to travel to a centralised point outside the county to deal with the administration of their licence," he wrote, adding that this would have a "negative impact."

The council also doubts whether the mayoral authority has the capability to manage the system, with Stewart noting that the council "understands the North East Combined Authority does not have in place the necessary infrastructure required to operate a licensing scheme of this nature."

Instead, Northumberland Council is pushing for a "hybrid approach" where the mayoral authority sets the region's policy, but local councils are paid to actually run the scheme.

While the plans would apply across the whole of England, local officials stress that nothing is final yet. Colin MacDonald, head of public protection, emphasised that "the devil is in the detail" and noted that while the government clearly has a "strong view," the proposals are still only at the consultation stage.


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