Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham warns Government plan to ‘reduce’ out-of-area taxis falls short of full ban
- Perry Richardson
- 2 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has warned that government proposals to reduce out-of-area taxi working do not go far enough, insisting he wants the practice effectively ended rather than merely curtailed.
Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Burnham said the long-running issue of drivers licensed far outside the region operating in Greater Manchester would persist if ministers only aim for a reduction. He said he did not believe it was acceptable for taxis plated dozens of miles away to operate routinely in the city-region.
Burnham launched a campaign last year to ban out-of-area working after figures showed nearly half of Greater Manchester’s private hire drivers are licensed elsewhere. A significant proportion are registered with City of Wolverhampton Council, which licenses more than one in ten private hire vehicles nationally, a situation often referred to within the trade as the “Wolverhampton problem”.
“We were saying end out-of-area working, not reduce,” Burnham said during the broadcast. He added that if “reduce” in practice meant the activity was almost eliminated, that would meet his expectations, but anything short of that would not.
Mayor says consolidation of licensing authorities must all but end cross-border working to satisfy safety concerns
The comments came as the government confirmed plans to overhaul taxi and private hire licensing in England through a new public consultation. Under proposals published by the Department for Transport, responsibility for licensing would shift from 263 local authorities to around 70 local transport authorities.
In Greater Manchester, this would mean taxi and private hire licensing being handled by Transport for Greater Manchester, rather than the area’s 10 individual councils. Ministers argue that fewer licensing bodies would mean fewer administrative boundaries, making it harder for drivers to base themselves in areas with lower standards or fees while working elsewhere.
Burnham later said at a press conference that he was encouraged ministers had listened to his concerns, thanking transport secretary Heidi Alexander for engaging with Greater Manchester leaders. However, he stopped short of welcoming the proposals outright, saying he could not declare the issue resolved unless local leaders could directly vouch for the safety standards of drivers and vehicles operating in the region.
The Department for Transport has positioned the reforms as a way to improve passenger safety, with particular emphasis on protecting women and girls, while also simplifying a system it says has become fragmented and difficult to enforce. The consultation will run for several weeks, with legislation expected to follow if the proposals gain sufficient support.
