Minor breaches could add up to licence suspension under new Tewkesbury Borough Council taxi penalty points scheme

Tewkesbury Borough Council will introduce a new penalty points scheme for the taxi and private hire trade from Monday 28 September, after the policy was approved by the council’s Executive Committee on Wednesday 2 September.

The scheme will allow penalty points to be issued for minor infringements of licensing conditions, with the number of points determined by the nature and seriousness of the breach.

Any points imposed will remain on the licence holder’s record for three years. Drivers accumulating 12 points within a three-year period will have their licence referred to the council’s Licensing sub-committee for review.

Reaching the 12-point threshold will not automatically result in a licence being removed. The sub-committee will consider the circumstances before deciding whether further action is required. Available outcomes include suspension, revocation or no further action.

The policy applies across Tewkesbury Borough Council’s licensed trade, including taxi and private hire drivers, licensed vehicle proprietors and private hire operators. Its introduction means relatively minor licensing breaches can be formally recorded and accumulated rather than necessarily being dealt with as isolated incidents.

Councillor Murray Stewart, Lead Member for Environmental Services, said: “Taxis and private hire vehicles play an important role in helping people travel safely around the borough.

“Our new scheme gives a clear and fair approach to dealing with minor breaches of licensing requirements. It will help ensure consistent standards across the trade, support public confidence, and reinforce our commitment to passenger safety.”

The council said the scheme had been developed following consultation with licensed drivers, operators and members of the public. It said the purpose of the system was to provide a fair method of dealing with minor breaches while maintaining passenger safety as a priority.

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For licence holders, the three-year lifespan of points means repeated infringements could eventually result in a formal appearance before the Licensing sub-committee even where individual breaches may not, on their own, have warranted suspension or revocation.

The change will place greater importance on drivers and operators understanding their individual licence conditions and ensuring continuing compliance. The scheme comes into force less than four weeks after its approval by the Executive Committee.

Members of the public can report concerns or make complaints and compliments about licensed taxi and private hire services directly to Tewkesbury Borough Council.