A senior Wolverhampton councillor has urged the Government to overhaul national taxi and private hire vehicle (PHV) regulations, warning that the city’s efficient licensing system is being exploited by drivers across the country.
Cllr Simon Bennett, leader of the Conservative opposition group on Wolverhampton Council, said that while the authority had pioneered a modern, streamlined approach to licensing, it has inadvertently exposed major flaws in the wider system.
Wolverhampton at the centre of a “national free-for-all”
Wolverhampton’s fully digital taxi licensing process — including daily DBS checks and the removal of unnecessary red tape — has attracted thousands of applicants from outside the city. According to Cllr Bennett, 96% of licences issued by Wolverhampton are for drivers who live elsewhere, a figure he says demonstrates both the city’s success and the failures of national regulation.
“That innovation showed how modern, transparent regulation could work – but the national framework it operates within is now unsustainable,” he said.
He warned that the current system, which allows vehicles licensed in one authority to operate almost anywhere in England and Wales, has created serious enforcement challenges. Wolverhampton Council has little ability to monitor or enforce conditions on drivers working hundreds of miles away.
Safeguarding concerns highlighted
Cllr Bennett also pointed to Baroness Casey’s review into child sexual exploitation, which uncovered safeguarding failures linked to inconsistent data collection and patchy oversight of drivers in some areas.
“Baroness Casey called for tougher, consistent standards for taxi and private hire licensing to protect vulnerable passengers, recommendations that mirror concerns long raised by Wolverhampton Conservatives,” he said.
National review underway
In July, the parliamentary Transport Committee launched an investigation into how taxi and PHV standards could be improved across the UK. MPs are considering reforms to ensure passenger safety, fair enforcement, and consistent regulation between councils.
Cllr Bennett urged the committee to act swiftly:
“Where the council has innovated, it has shown what can be achieved, but no single authority can carry the weight of a licensing system that has become a national free-for-all. The Government must deliver clear safety standards, proper enforcement powers and a framework that protects passengers and responsible drivers alike.”
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