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Government ‘working hard’ on new enforcement powers as north east MP presses for action on cross-border private hire licensing
Local enforcement officers will be able to suspend any taxi or private hire vehicle licence being used in their area if immediate safety concerns arise, Transport Minister Simon Lightwood told MPs.
The commitment came in response to Labour MP Lewis Atkinson, who asked whether the Government’s planned taxi and private hire vehicle Bill would give councils such as Sunderland the powers and resources to regulate vehicles operating locally, regardless of where they were licensed.
Atkinson asked: “As the Government prepare their taxi and private hire vehicle Bill, will the Minister ensure that local authorities such as Sunderland have the enforcement powers and resources that they need to regulate all vehicles operating in their area, regardless of where those vehicles are registered?”
Lightwood replied: “I fully recognise my hon. Friend’s concerns. Taxis and private hire vehicles are regulated through an outdated and fragmented framework, and this Government intend to bring forward a draft Bill to address that. My officials are also working hard to commence the powers from the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Act 2026 that will let enforcement officers suspend any licence used in their area if there are immediate safety concerns.”
The minister’s answer links two strands of the Government’s plans: a draft Bill intended to address the wider regulatory framework, and the commencement of powers in the 2026 Act. The latter would allow officers to suspend licences used in their area where they identify an immediate safety concern.
The exchange did not set out when those powers would come into force, how councils would apply them, or what additional resources local authorities might receive. Lightwood said only that officials were working to commence the powers.
Atkinson’s question focused on vehicles licensed by one authority but operating in another. The proposed suspension power, as described by Lightwood, would apply to “any licence used in their area” when immediate safety concerns arise, without specifying a vehicle’s licensing authority.
The comments were made during Transport questions in the House of Commons this week. The Government’s planned draft Bill is intended to address what Lightwood described as an “outdated and fragmented” system for taxi and private hire vehicle regulation.
