Colchester Council advises against mandatory taxi CCTV as upfront cloud-based set-up costs estimated at over £650,000
- Perry Richardson
- Jul 23
- 2 min read
Updated: Jul 29
Colchester City Council’s Licensing Committee has recommended against making CCTV a compulsory requirement in Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles. The move comes after detailed assessments of legal, financial, and practical issues linked to such a mandate.
Instead of a blanket policy, the council supports encouraging operators, owners, and drivers to voluntarily install CCTV. Guidance would be offered to ensure installations comply with data protection law, as set out by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).
The report warns that making CCTV mandatory would place the council as the legal data controller for all captured footage. This would mean the authority must manage secure storage, data requests, compliance duties, and bear responsibility for any breaches. Cloud-based systems are the only viable GDPR-compliant option, adding further technical and cost requirements.
The upfront cost to install cloud-based CCTV in 600 vehicles is estimated at over £650,000, with an annual running cost of approximately £48,000. Officers also highlighted potential challenges in enforcing mandatory rules. A likely outcome would be operators moving to neighbouring licensing authorities that do not require CCTV, taking their vehicles out of Colchester’s regulatory scope.
Crime data between 2022 and early 2025 shows a declining trend in offences linked to taxis, dropping from 65 incidents in 2022 to just 9 in the first two months of 2025. While CCTV could support crime prevention and complaint investigation, evidence suggests that existing voluntary installations already provide some benefit.
The recommendation aligns with national best practice guidance and reflects similar positions adopted by neighbouring councils. A period of public consultation is expected before final policy changes are agreed.
