We adopted our first hackney carriage/private hire licensing policy on 8 December 2014 and amended the policy on 17 October 2016. 

In summary the 2016 amendments were to:

• Provide an approved list of training providers for the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA).
• A revision to the vehicle specifications and testing policy.
• To introduce a timeline for temporary licensed vehicles and remove the requirement for CCTV in temporary licensed vehicles.

The main purpose of the policy is to promote the following objectives: 

• The protection of public health and safety
• Ensuring that hackney carriage and private hire vehicles are mechanically safe, clean and reliable
• The preservation of a professional and responsible hackney carriage and private hire trade
• Protection of the environment
• To encourage high standards of service and competence in the local hackney carriage and private hire trade
• Ensuring that drivers, proprietors and private hire operators are ‘fit and proper’ persons
• To provide clarity to all relevant parties with respect to our expectations of license holders and applicants and the decision making process
• The aim of the licensing process, in this context, is to regulate the hackney carriage and private hire trade in order to promote the above objectives

This consultation has now closed. This taxi licensing policy was adopted by the council on 13 June 2018