Cannock Chase deploys taxi marshals to bolster festive season safety
- Perry Richardson
- 8 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Cannock Chase Council is set to deploy taxi marshals at the main Cannock taxi rank during key nights of the festive period as part of a coordinated effort to improve public safety and support the night-time economy.
The marshals will operate between 10pm and 4am on selected dates, focusing on managing queues, supporting vulnerable people and ensuring that passengers can return home safely after nights out.
The council said the initiative is designed to maintain orderly use of the rank at a time when demand for late-night transport typically increases. Licensing and community safety teams expect the presence of marshals to help limit disorder, reduce anti-social behaviour and ease pressure on local police units covering the town centre’s busiest trading days of the year.
Marshals will be linked directly to the council’s 24-hour CCTV control room, enabling real-time communication between staff on the ground and operators monitoring the wider area. This is intended to speed up responses when incidents occur and provide additional oversight of activity around the rank, which is a central pinch point for departing revellers.
Council introduces night-time taxi rank marshals to support safer travel and reduce disorder during peak festive demand
The seasonal deployment is funded through Cannock Chase Council’s Community Safety allocation, provided by the Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime. The council said the scheme aligns with broader local and regional priorities aimed at reducing Violence Against Women and Girls and improving safeguarding for anyone using the night-time economy.
Local authorities across the UK continue to expand taxi marshal programmes as part of wider safety strategies. The approach is routinely used to support licensed operators, improve customer experience and provide assurance to venues and transport providers managing peak evening footfall.
Cannock Chase Council stated that the reserved dates for marshal deployment would be communicated to businesses and stakeholders who rely on late-night transport services. The authority expects the programme to support both operational resilience and a safer trading environment for hospitality venues during the Christmas and New Year period.
Councillor David Williams, Portfolio Leader for Community Wellbeing, said: "After a good night out, the last thing anyone wants is to worry about getting home. Working with the Police and Crime Commissioner, we've funded taxi marshals to help people get to their taxi safely, reduce anti-social behaviour, and keep an eye out for anyone who needs a hand. It's about looking after each other during the festive season"
Chief Inspector Al Lyford, from the Cannock local policing team, said: "We're continuing to work closely with our local authority colleagues in order to keep people safe over this festive period and into the New Year. "This is another proactive initiative which is going to going to help us work collectively to reduce crime and to address any concerns as robustly as possible in our local community."
Staffordshire Commissioner for Police, Fire & Rescue and Crime Ben Adams said: “Everyone should be able to enjoy the festive period safely. I welcome the introduction of taxi marshals in Cannock and hope that they will help to reduce anti-social behaviour and help anyone vulnerable trying to get home.”
