WESTMINSTER TAXI PROTEST SET: Cabbies and unions urge ministers to act on Casey Report call for immediate closure of licensing gap
- Perry Richardson
- 10 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Taxi and private hire drivers are set to gather in Parliament Square on Wednesday as pressure grows on the Government to act on the Casey report’s recommendation that out of area licensing is brought to an end.
The protest, organised by Unite, is expected to draw workers from across the UK concerned about what they see as uneven enforcement, reduced passenger protection and significant hits to local driver incomes.
The demonstration follows Baroness Casey’s national audit on group-based child sexual exploitation and abuse. Published in June, the report advised that drivers should no longer be able to obtain licences from any authority nationwide, citing safeguarding shortcomings and inconsistent regulatory standards. Six months on, unions and drivers argue that the gap has widened rather than narrowed.
Central to the dispute is licence shopping. Under current law, drivers can apply for a licence with any local authority, even if they have no intention of working in that area. Wolverhampton has become the most cited example, issuing more than 50,000 licences despite limited local passenger demand. A significant proportion of holders report for work in cities, towns and transport hubs hundreds of miles away, where the issuing authority has no practical ability to monitor day-to-day compliance.
Out of area taxi licensing faces renewed pressure as drivers plan Westminster protest
Unite says the situation has produced a two tier system in which passengers face varying standards depending on the driver’s licensing authority. Councils unable to regulate the majority of vehicles operating on their streets say they are blocked from intervening on safety, vehicle condition and conduct. Drivers working under their local authority’s tighter rules report losing work to out-of-area competitors who adhere to a different set of requirements, creating a commercial imbalance they say is damaging livelihoods.
The union said airports have become a flashpoint and Gatwick’s commercial arrangement with Uber has fuelled resentment among drivers licensed by Crawley Borough Council who say they have watched thousands of non-local drivers dominate work on the forecourt. Unite argues that the arrangement demonstrates how large operators can benefit from the current framework, leaving local drivers with reduced earning potential and weakened market stability.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said the government must now intervene, describing the loophole as a risk to passenger confidence and a direct threat to incomes in the sector.
Graham said: “The Government needs to take urgent action to close this loophole, which is putting passenger safety at risk and causing untold damage to the incomes of taxi drivers across the country. Ultimately, the only ones to benefit are companies like Uber, which are exploiting the legislation to create a race to the bottom in the private hire car sector.”
