Councils back major taxi law overhaul after ministers unveil long-awaited licensing reforms
- Perry Richardson
- 50 minutes ago
- 2 min read
The Local Government Association (LGA) has welcomed the publication of the Government’s draft Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Bill, describing it as an important step towards modernising a licensing framework that councils have argued is no longer fit for purpose.
Representing local authorities across England and Wales, the LGA said it has “long called for comprehensive reform of the legislation underpinning taxi and private hire vehicle licensing to make it fit for the 21st century”.
The organisation pointed particularly to measures aimed at implementing recommendations made by Baroness Casey, including the introduction of national standards and stronger enforcement powers.
The association said it supports proposals that would ensure enforcement funding is better aligned with where taxi and private hire services are actually delivered, rather than solely where operators, drivers or vehicles are licensed. Councils have frequently raised concerns that current arrangements can leave authorities dealing with high levels of activity without equivalent enforcement resources.
The Local Government Association has welcomed the Government’s draft Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Bill, backing proposals for stronger enforcement powers, national standards and improved safeguarding measures.
The LGA also welcomed plans to mandate the use of a national database covering licensed drivers, vehicles and private hire operators. Supporters of the measure argue it could improve information sharing between licensing authorities and help strengthen safeguarding checks across the sector.
Another area highlighted by councils was the draft Bill’s focus on disabled passengers. The LGA said it supports measures designed to improve accessibility and remove barriers that can prevent disabled people from accessing taxi and private hire services.
Notably, the organisation expressed support for what was absent from the draft legislation. The LGA said it was pleased the Bill does not include proposals to transfer responsibility for taxi and private hire licensing to local transport authorities, adding that it does not believe such a move would tackle the long-standing issue of out-of-area working.
The Government says the Bill is intended to make everyday journeys “safer, fairer and easier” by strengthening public safety protections, improving accessibility and updating regulations to reflect modern travel habits, including the widespread use of booking apps.
Ministers argue that the current system has become increasingly fragmented, creating inconsistent standards, safeguarding risks and enforcement challenges. The Government believes a combination of national standards, improved data sharing and legislative reform is required to address these issues and support a sector that now operates across local authority boundaries on a much larger scale than when existing legislation was introduced.
The draft Bill will now be subject to pre-legislative scrutiny, with councils, industry representatives, passenger groups and accessibility organisations expected to contribute to discussions on the final shape of the legislation before it is formally introduced to Parliament.
The publication of the draft Bill represents the strongest indication yet that long-discussed reforms to taxi and private hire licensing could finally move from policy debate to legislation.
