Portsmouth councillors are calling for urgent legislative reform after a woman reported being sexually harassed by a private hire driver licensed by Wolverhampton City Council.
The 44-year-old woman alleges that during a journey on Wednesday, the driver made inappropriate sexual remarks, hesitated to unlock the vehicle door, and hovered his hand over her leg as she tried to exit. The incident has been reported to both the taxi company involved and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary, which has confirmed it is investigating.
The case has reignited a long-standing concern in Portsmouth and other areas about “out-of-town” taxis — vehicles licensed by councils hundreds of miles away, operating in cities where local authorities have no regulatory control over them.
Councillor Emily Strudwick, chair of Portsmouth’s licensing committee, said:
“We’re seeing dozens of these cars every month. We have no enforcement power over them, and it puts the public at risk.”
Councillor Lee Hunt added that the current legal framework “frustrates our ability to apply local safety standards”, while fellow councillor George Madgwick raised concerns about Wolverhampton-licensed taxis operating without mandatory CCTV — a standard Portsmouth enforces locally to protect both drivers and passengers. He called the absence a failure in “deterrent, protection, and accountability.”
The City of Wolverhampton Council responded by defending its licensing standards, stating that it is the only local authority in the UK conducting daily DBS (criminal background) checks and was the first to implement smartphone-based licence verification.
A spokesperson for the council said:
“We take enforcement responsibilities seriously and our officers are out across the country, every Friday and Saturday night, working to protect the public.”
Under current law, councils are not allowed to reject private hire applications based on the applicant’s location or restrict the number of licences they issue — a loophole that campaigners say is being exploited by drivers who want to operate in cities with stricter rules, without being subject to those rules.
Last month, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander acknowledged the growing frustration, saying the government plans to act on inconsistent licensing standards across England.
“We will work as quickly as possible and consider all options including out-of-area working, national standards and enforcement, seeking the best overall outcome for passenger safety,” she said.
The taxi company involved in the Portsmouth incident has been approached for comment.
Source: BBC
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