SO MUCH CHANGE
SO MANY CHANGES – SO MUCH TO CONSIDER AS DEVOLUTION BILL MOVES FORWARD
Article by David Lawrie NPHTA Director
info@nphta.co.uk
Why the taxi and private hire sector must pay attention
With the Devolution White Paper now having passed its third reading in Parliament, the legislation is set to progress to the House of Lords. While the political focus is on restructuring local government, many local authorities are already preparing for the practical implications - drawing up provisional maps, assessing boundaries, and considering how existing councils will merge and operate within newly formed regions.
Although the Bill makes only a brief reference to the taxi and private hire industry, its impact on our sector will be far from minor. Devolution represents a wholesale reorganisation of council responsibilities: planning, highways, education, special educational needs (SEN) procedures, social care, street lighting, parks and leisure services, and every other function currently managed by local authorities. Taxi and private hire licensing is inevitably part of that package.
This means that when councils merge, their licensing departments - and all associated taxi and private hire policies - will merge too.
What this means for our industry
The amalgamation of councils will bring: l Combined licensing teams l Harmonised taxi and private hire policies l Consolidated conditions for drivers, vehicles & operators l Revised enforcement practices l New or expanded operational zones
These changes can have significant consequences. Differences in vehicle standards, age limits, signage, CCTV requirements, driver training, operator protocols, and byelaws will all need to be aligned across much larger geographical areas. Such alignment is rarely straightforward, and it will trigger a series of consultations to decide what the new unified policies will look like.
12 Consultations are coming – your voice matters
For drivers, operators and trade reps, the upcoming consultation periods are crucial. Decisions made during this process will shape the regulatory landscape for years to come. If the sector does not actively participate, we risk having policies imposed on us rather than created with us. So get involved and have your say.
This is the moment to: l Engage with local licensing departments l Respond to formal consultations lWork with associations and trade bodies l Attend public meetings and stakeholder workshops l Ensure decision-makers understand the practical realities of our industry
Cross-border working
Cross-border working (CBW) remains the central focus of the parliamentary call for evidence. Both written and oral submissions have concentrated on this issue, as did the Casey Report, which Parliament has stated it “agreed to implement in full.” The report includes 12 recommendations - only one of which relates to the taxi and private hire sector - yet it does call for an urgent end to cross-border working.
We recently attended a round-table meeting with the Mayor of Greater Manchester, alongside other trade representatives, where we expressed our full support for the ambition to bring CBW practices to an urgent end. However, we made it clear that the Deregulation Act 2015 is not the cause of the problem. We were asked to share a letter with MPs seeking support for an amendment which, in reality, would only have tinkered at the edges of the Act. When the proposal was presented in Parliament, it was even stated that “the Deregulation Act allows operators to subcontract directly to drivers and vehicles licensed in other regions” - a claim that is entirely incorrect. Doing so would directly breach the triple-lock rule. This approach would not resolve CBW at all.
Now that the amendment has been ruled out and has not progressed, we have seen social media posts claiming that “CBW has been ruled to continue by government.” This is simply untrue. Government remains keen to find a workable solution to CBW - and such a solution will come. 2026 the year of change for industry!
DECEMBER 2025 PHTM
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