I wondered if there would be some stuff in the nationals about this after the Casey report.
But most of this will have been familiar to most in the trade for years, although the sale and rentals of already-plated Wolves cars is a slightly different angle in press reports.
Usual boilerplate from Wolverhampton Council, though, but I'd guess they'll be unimpressed by the headline
Young people at risk as taxi drivers go to ‘easy’ council for licenceshttps://www.thetimes.com/uk/crime/artic ... -0299tp2fbThousands of minicab drivers are registering in Wolverhampton, where safety rules are known to be more lax than elsewhereA five-seater Toyota Prius, available for £145 a week. A 2016 Mercedes-Benz Vito van, listed for £14,250. A hybrid Hyundai, a BMW, and a Skoda. All advertised with one thing in common: a Wolverhampton licence plate.
Taxi drivers across the UK are turning to social media to purchase vehicles registered in the West Midlands city, drawn by “easier” licensing standards, sellers have said.
Fears have been raised that some drivers are sidestepping tough safeguarding rules introduced in areas previously affected by child sexual exploitation by obtaining licences from councils away from their actual place of work.
The Times first reported on the issue in 2018, revealing Wolverhampton had become the go-to local authority for thousands of drivers from all corners of England in search of a minicab licence.
Since then, the problem has grown. More than 10 per cent of all taxi licences in England were issued in Wolverhampton as of 2024, according to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Baroness Casey of Blackstock’s recent report on grooming gangs found that these legal loopholes that allow private-hire vehicles to operate anywhere in the country were continuing to put young people at risk.
The government, which has accepted all 12 of Casey’s recommendations, has pledged to work “at pace” to prevent out-of-area licensing. However, campaigners argue ministers must go further by introducing more rigorous safety checks for all drivers across the country.
Scale of the issueDrivers must undergo certain checks wherever they are licensed — including a DBS background check — yet some local authorities have gone beyond national statutory guidance in an effort to improve passenger safety. These include councils such as Rotherham, where the 2014 Jay report revealed that 1,400 girls had been groomed between the late 1990s and early 2010s, often transported in taxis.
In response, Rotherham borough council introduced stricter licensing measures such as mandatory CCTV in vehicles and clearer definitions of what constitutes a “fit and proper person” to hold a licence.
Applicants must also sit a child and vulnerable adults safeguarding test with a 100 per cent pass rate.
However, these types of safeguards can be bypassed due to legislation introduced in 2015 under the Cameron government, which allows private hire drivers to operate nationally, regardless of where their licence was issued.
Almost half the private hire drivers in Greater Manchester are registered outside the city, its mayor, Andy Burnham, recently warned. Figures obtained by the Manchester Evening News in 2023 found that 8,952 drivers were licensed by Wolverhampton city council alone, 80 miles away, making up 35 per cent of the private hire cabs operating across the city-region.
The Liverpool Echo reported that in 2024, Wolverhampton council granted nearly 500 licences to drivers with Liverpool postcodes.
One man advertising a Prius on Facebook said: “People like the council in Wolverhampton — it’s easier to get a badge. The test there is easy. In Manchester, it’s very hard. That’s why people go to Wolverhampton.”
Licence costs also vary between councils, and Wolverhampton is among the cheaper options. The cost of a one-year private hire licence in Rotherham is £210, whereas in Wolverhampton a one-year licence costs £49.
The vehicles sold on social media often come with a taxi licence already registered to the car, but buyers still need to obtain their own personal licence from the council to operate it legally.
Casey warned this week that while most taxi drivers were law-abiding, “as a key part of the night-time economy, taxis have historically been identified as a way children can be at risk of sexual exploitation”.
She said: “Local authorities issue taxi licences in line with statutory guidance as a means of combating child sexual exploitation, but they are being hindered by a lack of stringency in other local authorities and legal loopholes which mean drivers can apply for a licence anywhere in the country.”
A spokeswoman for the City of Wolverhampton council said safeguarding was their “number one priority in taxi licensing” and that it was the “only local authority which checks drivers on the Update Service DBS status every day”.
She added: “It is illegal for the council to refuse applicants a taxi licence on the basis of where they live.
Under the current law, applicants are able to apply to any licensing authority for a licence. It is also illegal for licensing authorities to impose a limit on the number of private hire licences they issue. The council does not gain financially from taxi licensing, as the fees are legally ringfenced for spend only on related activities.
“Our early adoption of digital technology has allowed us to offer a simple and efficient online application procedure, with the requirement that drivers attend in person for training and strict assessment before an application can be processed.”
The Department for Transport was contacted for comment.
Other safety concernsCampaigners argue that out-of-area licensing is only one part of a wider problem.
A freedom-of-information investigation by the Suzy Lamplugh Trust found that 90 taxi drivers were issued licences despite previous convictions for violent offences including assault, battery or harassment.
A further 68 licences were granted to drivers with convictions for traffic-related offences, such as drink-driving or dangerous driving.
Saskia Garner, head of policy and campaigns at the charity, said: “National standards for driver-safety checks urgently need to be mandated in law to ensure perpetrators are not able to misuse the system to abuse passengers.
“This would prevent discrepancies in standards between licensing authorities and ensure every passenger across the country can be assured that their driver has been screened to the same high standards.”
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