POINTS DON’T MEAN PRIZES: Rother District Council moves to revise taxi penalty points scheme
- Perry Richardson
- 1 day ago
- 2 min read
Rother District Council is preparing to tighten its taxi licensing enforcement framework by approving a revised penalty points scheme covering hackney carriage and private hire drivers, operators and vehicle proprietors.
A report to the council’s Licensing and General Purposes Committee recommends amending the existing Taxi Licensing Policy to adopt an updated points-based system, with penalty points remaining on record for three years and referral to a licensing panel once more than 11 points are accrued.
The revised scheme is intended to deal with minor misdemeanours in a more structured and consistent way, while creating a clearer audit trail of driver and operator behaviour over time. Council officers say repeated low-level breaches can demonstrate a pattern of poor conduct that raises questions about whether a licence holder remains fit and proper.
According to the report, the main changes include the introduction or clarification of penalties for parking in designated disabled bays, parking with wheels on the pavement, failing to subscribe to the Disclosure and Barring Service update service, moving off a taxi rank when a passenger with assistance needs is approaching, and vaping inside licensed vehicles.
Revised framework targets parking offences, DBS compliance and driver conduct, with licensing panel referrals triggered at 12 points
Under the scheme, licensing breaches are investigated by officers, with outcomes ranging from no further action and formal warnings through to penalty points, referral to a licensing panel or prosecution. The points system is designed as a stepped enforcement approach that escalates sanctions only where behaviour is persistent.
The council notes that while there is no statutory requirement for local authorities to operate a penalty points scheme, government best practice guidance supports their use as a way to improve consistency in enforcement and reduce unnecessary referrals to licensing committees. National guidance also recommends that points should remain on record for a minimum of three years for drivers and five years for private hire operators, to ensure past behaviour is taken into account during licence renewals.
Officers say the revised document has been reordered to make it easier for licence holders to understand their obligations and the consequences of non-compliance. The report concludes that failing to update the scheme would undermine its effectiveness as an enforcement tool.
If approved by councillors, the updated penalty points scheme will form part of Rother’s wider taxi licensing policy, which operates under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and locally set licence conditions.
The proposals will be considered by members ahead of a final decision by Rother District Council later this month.
