Thurrock Council signs off new taxi licensing policy push for card payment acceptance and no fixed vehicle age limits
- Perry Richardson
- 15 hours ago
- 2 min read
Thurrock Council’s Licensing Committee has approved a revised Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, with the new framework due to take effect on 1 December 2025. The update aligns local rules with the Department for Transport’s Best Practice Guidance and follows a six-week consultation held over the summer.
The consultation drew 498 portal visits and 31 responses from the taxi trade and public. Feedback supported card payment acceptance in vehicles and the shift to emissions-based standards in place of a fixed age cap, which the authority says will help keep compliant, well-maintained vehicles in service for longer. Views were also raised on conviction categories, the seven-point threshold and medical frequency.
Officers have responded with several changes. Convictions guidance has been updated in line with Institute of Licensing advice, including clearer offence categories and a staged route for drivers who reach seven points to take and pass a driving assessment. DVLA medical intervals are adopted in full. A mandatory pre-shift walkaround check has been added to ensure vehicle roadworthiness each shift.
There will be a three-month lead-in from 1 December for key measures. These include the licensing points-based enforcement scheme, card payment acceptance, testing frequency changes and the daily walkaround checks. Vehicles that do not yet meet the new emissions standard can remain licensed until the date they would have reached the previous age-limit cut-off.
The adopted policy runs to November 2030 and consolidates decision-making, complaints handling and licence conditions for drivers, vehicles and operators. It also embeds the NR3 national refusals and revocations database policy, knowledge test arrangements, and detailed hackney carriage and private hire vehicle conditions, including sections on safety equipment, signage, CCTV and electronic payments.
Members discussed the ongoing fall in licence numbers since the pandemic, the impact of app-based competition and the importance of maintaining enforcement capacity. A chair recommendation asks the Licensing Manager to explore a working group to review the decline in licences locally and report back.
The report notes no immediate financial implications for the council from adopting the revised taxi policy. Legal advice confirms licensing remains a council function and that the best practice guidance must be considered against local policy.
