Taxi Driver Online

I think there are several different threads this could be reasoanbly be attached to, so maybe a new one is in order

But looks like some stuff is being watered down (like the dress code). And, of course, caps in the previous authority areas are an issue, predictably enough.

But significant change is never easy, particularly when it's across several former council areas because of a local government amalgamation


Councillors to consider petition to save taxi trade

https://www.newsandstar.co.uk/news/2561 ... axi-trade/

COUNCILLORS will next week consider a petition relating to Cumberland Council’s taxi and private hire policy.

Members of the council’s regulatory committee are due to meet at Allerdale House in Workington on Monday (November 17) to discuss the petition – Save Cumberland’s taxi trade.

According to the report it was submitted to the council via www.change.org and, as of October 16, 2024, it had been signed by 1449 people.

The current policy was discussed at the end of January where members agreed a much reduced dress code regulations than those which were originally proposed as well as a fixed penalty scheme for breaches of vehicle licence conditions such as failure to have a valid MOT test.

Members also agreed that no more than 12 points must be accumulated for the length of the licence: three years for drivers and five years for operators.

The report states: “Due process had to be carried out on receipt of the petition and timelines prevented it being considered at regulatory Committee on November 11, 2024, alongside the other responses to the taxi policy consultation.

“Following verification in accordance with the Council’s Petition Scheme, 430
signatures were confirmed as valid. The petition did not therefore meet the threshold for debate by full council but falls within the remit of the regulatory committee.”

Members are recommended to notes the petition and the verification outcome, consider the issues raised within the petition as part of their wider policy development work, and determines an appropriate response to the petition organiser in accordance with the council’s scheme for submission of petitions.

The petition states: “From 2025 Cumberland’s new merged government are proposing new regulations regarding the taxi and private hire trade.

“Some of these regulations would put many small companies out of business and Cumberland would lose more than 200 taxis, whilst there is already a severe shortage in the area.”

The petition claimed that the council aimed the limits on the number of vehicles allowed in towns meaning that drivers are more inclined to buy a £20,000 normal taxi than a £60,000 wheelchair accessible vehicle which caused there to be fewer vehicles for the disability community.

It adds: “As it stands caps are in place to help us provide more vehicles for the disability community. There are other proposed rules and regulations which would cause significant issues to the taxi industry in the area and a list of these are being compiled to go alongside this petition.

“We are asking as a united front of transport providers that you read and sign our petition to support us in making the changes more reasonable and realistic in the current economy, whilst helping us to continue providing the same standard of transport we do now and have done for many years.

“Our main aim is that the council will listen to our concerns and support us when finally making the new taxi policies.”

According to the report the committee was due to meet last November but, due to statutory agenda publication deadlines, there was not enough time for the petition to be considered.

It adds: “There were a number of outstanding matters relating to consultation responses which required further research and advice.

“These were referred back to the regulatory committee on January 31, 2025, for consideration and that part of the policy was finalised. The petition was not considered at this meeting.”

Quite possibly going to be a Greater Sussex council controlled by a single Mayor.

Be interesting to see what they do with the taxi/PH trade.

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IDFIMH

interesting you should say that - because I did a speech

Councillors, the proposal to abolish Carlisle’s taxi licensing zone is a clear example of administrative convenience being placed above public need.

Let us begin with the facts. Carlisle is not interchangeable with the rest of Cumberland. It is the only city in the authority. It is the only place with a mainline railway station. It is the only area with a motorway link. These are not minor details. They make Carlisle the transport hub of the region—the point of arrival for visitors, the centre of movement for goods, and the place where passengers expect reliable services. With that role come pressures that rural areas simply do not face: late‑night demand, heavy traffic, and complex passenger flows.

Yet the council has already weakened standards by removing Carlisle’s knowledge test. The consequences were predictable. Drivers unfamiliar with the city. Passengers left frustrated. A decline in service quality. A taxi service without local knowledge is not a service—it is confusion with a meter running.

At the same time, the licensing department itself has declined in performance. Drivers are told of staffing problems, as if that excuses delays. Replies that once came in minutes now take days. Licensees are even told to consult policy documents before asking for help. This is not progress—it is bureaucracy replacing service. And here is the crucial point: licensing is supposed to be a self‑funding department. It is paid for by licensees. Drivers fund the system through their fees. They are entitled to expect a professional, responsive service in return. When service collapses, it is not because of lack of funding—it is because of mismanagement.

And the decline in standards is not abstract—it is visible on the ranks. Passengers report drivers refusing short fares. This is not only damaging to public trust, it is unlawful under the Town Police Clauses Act. When drivers feel emboldened to refuse short journeys, it is a symptom of a system where standards are no longer enforced, where accountability has been eroded, and where the licensing authority has failed to uphold its own responsibilities.

Now, the plan is to merge Carlisle, Allerdale, and Copeland into one licensing zone. The justification is paperwork. But paperwork is not the measure of a functioning system. What matters is whether passengers are safe, whether drivers are competent, and whether standards reflect the realities of the city they serve. Simplifying paperwork may make life easier for administrators, but it makes life harder for passengers. It makes life harder for drivers. It makes life harder for the city itself.

And here is the broader context. The England Devolution White Paper proposes new Mayors across regions, including Cumbria. That Mayor may well take on responsibility for taxi licensing. If that happens, the framework will change again. So why dismantle Carlisle’s zone now, when regional governance may soon reshape the system entirely? Why rush into a merger that may be irrelevant within months?

This is the pattern we see repeatedly. Local standards are eroded in the name of efficiency. Accountability is diluted in the name of reform. And the public is told this is progress. But progress for whom? For passengers, who are left with drivers who don’t know the city? For drivers, whose professionalism is undermined? Or for administrators, who can tick a box marked ‘streamlined’ while the service itself deteriorates?

Retaining Carlisle’s licensing zone is not nostalgia—it is rational policy. It preserves local standards. It ensures drivers know the city. It positions Carlisle to negotiate effectively when powers shift to a Mayor. It recognises that Carlisle is a city, not a village. A transport hub, not a rural backwater.

Councillors, the choice before you is clear. You can protect Carlisle’s identity and standards, or you can erase them in the name of bureaucratic tidiness. You can defend the city’s voice, or you can silence it. And history will record which side you chose: the side of the city, or the side of administrative convenience.

Carlisle drivers are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for fair treatment. They are asking for standards that reflect the reality of the city they serve. They are asking for a licensing system that values competence over paperwork, and a licensing department that delivers the service they already pay for.

So I urge you: protect the standards, protect the knowledge, protect the city. Retain Carlisle’s licensing zone, and you retain Carlisle’s voice

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

The 7 councils in lincolnshire can't agree so several proposals for combinations have gone in all of which are smaller than the government wants and the two Northernmost are asking to be not merged with anyone.

I can see this not happening in many parts of the UK although there is talk of taxi licensing being transferred to the Mayor and being county wide

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lack of modern legislation is the iceberg sinking the titanic of the transport sector