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Taxi drivers face DBS checks every six months under major Mansfield District Council licensing shake-up
- Perry Richardson
- 2 hours ago
- 2 min read
Mansfield District Council has proposed increasing the frequency of Disclosure and Barring Service checks for licensed taxi and private hire drivers from once a year to every six months.
The change forms part of a revised Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy presented to the council’s Licensing Committee on 20 August 2026. Members were asked to approve the document for public consultation before any final decision on adoption.
Under the proposals, the wording covering DVLA driving licence checks would also be changed to use the check-code system. This allows licensing officers to access relevant driving record information supplied through the DVLA’s online service.
Safeguarding training for drivers would have to be delivered by Mansfield District Council or an approved third-party provider. Drivers would then be required to complete refresher training every three years.
Similar rules are proposed for private hire operators. Operator training would need to come from the council or an approved provider, with refresher training also required at three-year intervals.
The revised policy would apply to new and existing applicants for hackney carriage and private hire driver, vehicle and operator licences. This means current licence holders could face the strengthened requirements once the policy is formally adopted.
Council officers said the changes were intended to improve passenger safety, safeguarding, vehicle quality and consistency across the licensed trade. The authority also wants the policy to provide clearer requirements for applicants, licence holders, councillors and licensing officers.
The report said an updated framework would support “consistent, transparent decision-making” and reduce the risk of legal challenge. It noted that there is no statutory requirement for the council to maintain a taxi licensing policy, although doing so is recommended in Department for Transport guidance.
Mandatory CCTV will not be included in the revised policy at this stage. The council said any future requirement would need to be considered separately, including its proportionality, cost to the trade, privacy implications and emerging national guidance. Mansfield has recently introduced a voluntary CCTV code.
The consultation was scheduled to run from 24 August until 4 October 2026, with licensed drivers and private hire operators due to be notified. Responses will be reported to the Licensing Committee before the policy is considered for formal adoption.
The council said adopting the revised policy would have no direct financial implications for the authority. However, licence holders could face additional operational demands through more frequent DBS checks and recurring training, depending on how the final requirements are administered and funded.
