Mayors press for new cross-border taxi licensing powers during Devolution Bill evidence session
- Perry Richardson
- Sep 18
- 3 min read
A Public Bill Committee heard calls for stronger regional control of taxi licensing as mayors gave evidence on the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill on 16 September.
Tracy Brabin, Chair of UK Mayors and West Yorkshire Mayor, told MPs the Bill offers a clearer framework for devolution and a route to request extra powers. She highlighted cross-border private hire activity as a safety risk, citing figures that almost half of private hire vehicles operating in Greater Manchester are licensed by councils outside the city region. Brabin said uniform standards across mayoral areas would improve passenger safety and enforcement.
Donna Jones, Hampshire Police and Crime Commissioner and mayoral candidate, backed a strategic role for mayors in licensing. She recalled early Uber growth on the south coast with drivers licensed far from local authorities trying to set consistent standards. Jones urged Parliament to consider mandatory CCTV in taxis to support policing outcomes and public confidence. She also supported giving mayors strategic call-in powers over local licensing decisions, while leaving day-to-day issuing with unitary councils.
Tees Valley Mayor Ben Houchen focused on governance and transparency around funding, but agreed that clarity and speed on new powers matter. He supported concentrating accountability in the elected mayor, with streamlined levies so the public can see who is raising money for transport and related services.
Ministers asked how the new “right to request” could be made effective. Brabin said mayors want a simple process to secure powers that reflect local needs. She again pointed to taxi licensing as a prime early test of the mechanism.
MPs also raised concerns about democratic checks on appointed commissioners. Brabin and Houchen argued accountability ultimately sits with the directly elected mayor, with voters able to judge outcomes at the ballot box.
For the taxi trade, the session signals growing cross-party interest in fixing cross-border licensing and raising safety and quality standards at a regional level. If the Bill’s right to request enables fast adoption of common rules, operators could face fewer fragmented requirements and councils would gain clearer enforcement paths. The outcome now rests on how far ministers are willing to go on taxi licensing within the devolution package and how quickly new powers can be switched on.
Sam Carlin MP said: “I was really pleased you raised the issue of taxi licensing. We have a border problem around my area of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, where taxis register in certain councils because they have laxer standards. Do you think there is a case for adding something to this Bill to give mayoral authorities a role in that licensing process, or at least for making it one of the first things brought forward under the right to request?”
Tracy Brabin replied: “Thank you for that question; I know your mayor has raised that with me. The strategic overview is really helpful, because some councils might have different processes.
“Uniformity across mayoral strategic authorities can only be helpful. I would say that the majority of mayors feel that that is a solution to some of the problem, where we have seen cowboys from way outside people’s patches, not necessarily with the same expectations on their vehicles or safety and so on, and we do not know who they are. It is important to have that clarity for the safety of the public.”
Donna Jones said: “On licensing and the taxi point, when I was leader of Portsmouth city council 10 years ago, we were one of the areas where Uber exploded first. We were a growth area for it on the south coast, but I think its registered office and its licensing for drivers was up in Wolverhampton or somewhere, so it was miles away and had no bearing on what I was trying to deliver in Portsmouth, in terms of signage on taxis and the uniformity we were trying to achieve.
“On safety, and the point Tracy made about what we have been calling for as police and crime commissioners, I was calling three years ago for CCTV to be mandatory in taxis. What you could do, through Parliament, is to mandate that through separate taxi licensing regulation and law. Strategic authorities could play a part, if the licensing authorities remain, like local planning authorities, at the lowest level with the unitary authorities—as it will be after local government reorganisation. The strategic authorities could then have the right to call in or set some strategic licensing powers that the licensing authorities beneath them have to implement. That could be a way to address it.”
