Cabbie driving tests and looming national standards all on agenda for Blackburn with Darwen councillors
- Perry Richardson
- 17 hours ago
- 2 min read
Taxi and private hire licensing policy will be under renewed scrutiny when Blackburn with Darwen Council’s Licensing Committee meets on 21 January, with councillors set to review driver testing rules, enforcement activity and the implications of forthcoming national reforms.
One of the central items for the taxi and private hire trade is a report on practical driving assessment requirements. Members will be asked to note feedback following the committee’s earlier decision to require licensed drivers to pass a practical driving assessment every six years, rather than at every renewal. Officers are recommending that the policy be reconsidered in 2028, ahead of implementation in 2029, due to expected national changes that could override local rules.
The report confirms that the original move away from three-yearly testing followed strong opposition from drivers during consultation, with 149 of 165 respondents objecting on cost grounds. Since then, the policy has continued to attract criticism from parts of the trade and some elected members, particularly given uncertainty over how future national minimum standards for taxi and private hire licensing will operate.
National reform is a recurring theme across the agenda. Officers highlight that the Government has tabled legislation giving ministers the power to introduce mandatory minimum standards for drivers, vehicles and operators, alongside a live consultation on shifting taxi and private hire licensing responsibilities away from district councils to strategic transport authorities. If implemented, this would significantly reduce the number of licensing bodies and reshape local oversight of the sector.
Councillors will also receive an update on enforcement and compliance activity affecting taxi and private hire drivers between October and December 2025. During that period, 36 driver licences were reviewed under delegated powers, with all 36 resulting in suspensions and two drivers required to pass practical driving tests. Three new dual driver licence applications were refused, while further cases resulted in suspensions, revocations and mandatory retraining following sub-committee hearings.
The same update details a steady flow of complaints and penalty points issued to drivers, including cases linked to conduct, safeguarding concerns, driving standards and vehicle signage. Officers also report that a licensing appeal brought by a refused applicant was dismissed by the court, with the council awarded more than £8,000 in costs, while further appeals remain live.
Officers note that future extensions of tax conditionality checks will also apply to taxi and private hire vehicle licences, adding another compliance step for operators and vehicle proprietors from April 2026 onwards .
