Government will act ‘as quickly as possible’ to close cross-border taxi licensing loophole after abuse report concerns
- Perry Richardson
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
The Government has confirmed it will bring forward legislation aimed at closing loopholes in the taxi and private hire vehicle licensing system, following a National Audit report into group-based child sexual exploitation.
Concerns were raised by Rachael Maskell, Labour and Co-operative MP for York Central, who pressed the Transport Secretary to prevent taxi drivers from gaining a licence in one area and operating in another. Maskell also called for stricter controls to ensure only locally licensed drivers can pick up passengers within a given authority.
In response, Simon Lightwood, Minister at Department for Transport, said the department intends to act “as quickly as possible” to address inconsistencies in taxi licensing and enforcement.
Planned measures include a consultation on shifting licensing responsibility to local and combined transport authorities. The department is also considering national standards and greater enforcement to address passenger safety concerns raised in the June 2025 report.
Lightwood confirmed that licensing authorities are now required to carry out enhanced background checks and, since 2023, use a shared database that blocks drivers refused a licence for safety reasons from applying elsewhere. However, he warned that care is needed to avoid reducing access to properly licensed taxis and inadvertently pushing passengers towards unregulated alternatives.
The Department for Transport is also reviewing how well current guidance is being followed and may take action against authorities that fail to comply.
Minister Lightwood said: “The Department for Transport will legislate to address the important issues raised in the report, tackling the inconsistent standards of taxi and private hire vehicle driver licensing. We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options – including out of area working, national standards and enforcement – seeking the best overall outcomes for passenger safety.
“In the interim we will act urgently to make improvements, including consulting on making local transport authorities, including combined authorities, responsible for taxi and private hire vehicle licensing, and determining how existing statutory guidance can be strengthened to further protect the public. We are also reviewing authorities’ compliance with existing guidance and will hold those who do not follow it to account.
“Some important protections have already been put in place since earlier inquiries into Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation. All licensing authorities in England now undertake extensive driver background checks, and since 2023 they are required to use a single database to prevent a driver refused a licence in one area on safety grounds going elsewhere. Careful consideration of the options is needed as we do not want any change to decrease the availability of highly vetted licensed drivers and vehicles and inadvertently increase the use of those offering illegal services that evade these licensing checks.”
