CROSS-BORDER CRISIS: An “urgent end”
If as people are calling for, cross-border working does all come to an urgent end, then what will happen to all of those who have taken advantage of the “right to roam” and been licensed elsewhere? And if so, what exactly does “as quickly as possible”, as quoted by the government response above, actually mean?
Would this mean less drivers and vehicles?
Potentially not, since many of the drivers are actually local, they have merely migrated for a cheaper option. Although yes, we know it is not ALL about the cost, in some cases, it is also about the speed and efficiency of processing applications, and of course for some, it may also be due to localised conditions, such as age of vehicles, or knowledge tests.
But the reality is that if hundreds, even thousands of drivers return to their local authorities, then the local costs would also have to come down. The spin off to that of course would be that due to the massive reduction in those licensed elsewhere, the fees from that council would also have to rise!
NATIONAL STANDARDS & ENFORCEMENT: DEVOLUTION WHITE PAPER
We are not alone in our support and call for national standards; in fact, this is the very reason for the “Devolution” White Paper, which was released in December last year, as you may have seen Andy Burnham discussing more recently.
The idea behind national standards is that we currently have such a pick and mix of licensing conditions and policies throughout over 300 different local authorities, including:
For vehicles: 1. Varying colours 2. Varying age limits, 3. Fire extinguisher, 4. First aid kits, 5. CCTV cameras, 6. Tinted window restrictions, 7. Some that only provide a compliance test.
8. Their neighbours provide both the compliance and the MOT certificates.
9. Operator signage (none, or magnetic, or permanent stickers)
8
For drivers: 1. Local area Knowledge tests 2. Overseas records checks 3. Safeguarding courses 4. Disability awareness training 5. Qualifications in passenger transport 6. Driver assessment courses.
It really is very confusing, and hardly surprising that licence shopping exists. So, the idea is to reduce this right down to around 80 mayoral authorities to take over this role nationwide using “devolved powers”. The hope of adopting national standards is to remove the desire to go elsewhere for a licence since they will all be the same - a “national standard”.
CONSULTATIONS ARE COMING YOUR WAY!
Will this mean an end to fire extinguishers, first aid kits, mandatory CCTV, tinted window restrictions, local area knowledge tests, extra courses for drivers? Or will the excessive restrictions that do exist in some places, be rolled out nationally?
What do National Standards look like?
Could we see a massive increase in overkill conditions? Maybe we will be subject to TfL conditions throughout the UK, despite the fact that London is the capital city of the UK, with huge numbers of tourists and attractions for them to visit, plus multiple airports, where such strict conditions may be necessary. But they may not be suitable for a little rural central Welsh town? Or could we see the opposite, where the conditions that are already much higher, would have to be reduced to comply with the new “national standard”?
CCTV This subject is extremely relevant here since
mandatory CCTV was introduced in 2014 in Rotherham, following the Casey report on Child grooming concluded in 2012. As we are examining the Casey report, this leads us to consider the possibility that the result may be a national roll-out of a CCTV condition, but will of course be subject to consultation first.
Remember of course, that Rotherham was not the first council to introduce CCTV as a mandatory condition of licence. That was Southampton in 2009, followed by Brighton and then Portsmouth, and more recently
JULY 2025 PHTM
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