Durham County Council urges action on cross-border licensing loopholes in evidence provided to MPs
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 30
- 2 min read
Durham County Council has warned MPs that the current taxi and private hire licensing system is failing to prevent unsafe cross-border working, and has called for national reform to close the gaps.
In its written submission to the Transport Select Committee, the council said drivers can be refused or have their licence revoked in one area, only to secure a new licence from another authority and continue operating in the original location. It described this as a significant risk to public safety, made possible by inconsistent national rules and limited enforcement powers.
The council has proposed that all drivers should be licensed by the authority where they primarily live or work. It also called for a legal requirement for councils to enter cross-border enforcement agreements. This would ensure licensing breaches can be properly addressed no matter where a driver is operating.
Durham said the current model, which allows private hire vehicles to work freely outside the area that licensed them, undermines local licensing decisions. The council wants clearer rules linking licensing to place of work, with real enforcement backing those expectations.
To support this, the council backs full national integration of the NR3 register, which records refusals and revocations. It said all authorities should be required to check NR3 at both application and renewal stages using automated systems. This would close off one of the main routes for licence shopping between councils.
The council also pointed to wide variation in how authorities use national tools and share data, and called for standardised digital platforms to support checks and enforcement. These would make it harder for drivers with poor records to move undetected between areas.
While Durham supports wider national licensing standards, it stressed that without firm action on cross-border loopholes, local enforcement will remain patchy and public confidence will suffer.
Alongside licensing reform, the council has also raised the need for new operator responsibilities and future rules for autonomous vehicles. But its central message is clear: cross-border regulation must be strengthened if the system is to work.
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