West Suffolk Council taxi drivers will see first INCREASE to licensing fees since 2015 next Spring

Next April will see the first increase in seven years to the licensing fees and charges the taxi and private hire trade pay in West Suffolk, come into effect.

The new fees and charges are the result of increased work and costs from the national changes in Government guidance that West Suffolk Council must follow. This includes new HM Revenue and Customs tax conditionality checks introduced in April this year and Department For Transport guidance that has increased driver DBS checks from every three years to every six months.

On Tuesday, West Suffolk Council’s Cabinet agreed to the increase, the first since 2015/16, which will now come into effect from 3 April next year.

Cllr Andy Drummond, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Licensing and Regulatory, said: “Let’s be clear, this is not about generating additional income for the council. We are not allowed to do so by law. But we are looking to run a cost neutral service. By increasing these fees and charges, we are effectively asking the trade to cover the increased costs associated with granting licences. These increased costs include the checks that we have to do on their behalf to protect passenger safety and maintain public confidence in the taxi trade.

“Our priority is to ensure applications are processed in time and the appropriate checks are carried out and if there is any surplus income over a three-year period, it will be used to support the trade.”

The increase follows consultation with the trade between late June and the beginning of August. That consultation wasn’t about whether the trade liked the increases, but on whether they agreed that the council has complied with legislative requirements and used an appropriate approach to setting the fees.

There were four objections, two of which said that passenger fares should go up first – which they did in late August after the licensing committee agreed to proposals put forward from taxi driver Rob Dorling. The proposals to increase fees and charges were included as part of the rationale to increase passenger fares.

Another member of the trade said the rate was high, while the fourth said the council should instead reduce the amount of administration.

The tables below include the current fees and charges and the new ones that will come into effect from 3 April 2023.