North East Lincolnshire Council backs WAV taxi policy and keeps taxi licence cap
- Perry Richardson
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Councillors in North East Lincolnshire have voted to retain the cap on hackney carriage vehicle licences and introduce tighter rules to protect wheelchair accessible vehicle (WAV) provision in the local taxi fleet.
At the latest Community Protection Committee meeting, members supported maintaining the current limit of 220 hackney carriage licences. The decision follows an unmet demand survey which concluded there is no significant need for additional licensed taxis across the borough.
Alongside this, councillors also backed a new policy requiring all new hackney carriage vehicle applicants to license WAVs. The move is intended to reverse a decline in accessible vehicles that has occurred over the past decade. Figures show that WAVs once made up nearly half of the hackney fleet but now account for just one in six licensed vehicles.
The Committee considered several options, including scrapping the numerical limit on taxi licences altogether. However, the survey found that the existing cap contributes to fleet stability, protects driver livelihoods and ensures continued service standards for passengers. Removing the limit was viewed as a potential risk, particularly during periods of low demand.
The decline in WAV numbers was linked to a 2013 policy allowing accessible vehicles to be replaced by standard saloons. With accessibility needs in the region outpacing national averages, councillors supported the introduction of a policy that ensures all newly licensed hackney vehicles meet WAV standards.
While existing licence holders will not be immediately affected, any new applications will only be approved if the vehicle is wheelchair accessible. The policy also leaves the door open to implement further requirements on vehicle type, including electric or hybrid-only rules, at a future date.
There are currently 204 hackney carriages licensed in the borough. The cap of 220 allows limited space for growth under the new WAV requirement, but no move will be made to raise the overall limit following the Committee’s decision.
The recommendations will now go out for consultation with the taxi trade, with a final decision expected at the next Committee meeting in November.
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