The number of taxi and private hire drivers licensed in Newcastle-under-Lyme, a market town located near Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire has dropped by almost half over the last five years, sparking concerns over “licence shopping” and inconsistent standards across local councils.
Figures show that since the introduction of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council’s current taxi licensing policy in 2019, the number of licensed drivers has fallen from 1,020 to just 546 – a 47% decline. Private hire vehicle licences have dropped from 600 to 385, while hackney carriage numbers are down from 194 to 127.
Licence Shopping Blamed for Decline
A report presented to the council’s public protection committee highlights that the steep fall is linked to drivers obtaining licences from neighbouring authorities with less stringent requirements.
Licensing lead Matthew Burton told councillors:
“We’ve decreased nearly 47 per cent in terms of drivers, which really is a significant amount, when other authorities are having such large increases.”
He added that although Newcastle-under-Lyme maintains comprehensive standards, applicants are bypassing them in favour of councils with looser rules, only to return and operate within the borough.
“There are some local authorities that have very high standards and some that have very low standards… and individuals are able to ‘licence shop’,” he explained.
Calls for National Standards
The council is now preparing its response to a government consultation on taxi licensing, which could lead to a national framework and eliminate inconsistencies.
Councillor Rupert Adcock stressed the need for change:
“We effectively have a system that punishes local authorities that have higher safety standards and rewards those with lower standards, and that’s just not right. In our response to the consultation, we should set out the minimum standards that we want.”
Updated Taxi Licensing Policy
Alongside the consultation, councillors also approved updates to Newcastle-under-Lyme’s own taxi licensing policy, due to take effect in January.
Following public feedback, the council scrapped a proposal to remove door livery from licensed vehicles – a move that many said would make it harder for passengers to identify legitimate taxis.
Instead, the updated rules will focus on stricter vehicle criteria and a refreshed knowledge test for drivers.
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