IN THE NEWS
GOODBYE KEIR STARMER - HELLO ANDY BURNHAM A VIEW FROM THE TRADE ON THE STATE OF PLAY
Mikey’s Taxi Southampton shares his thoughts on what an Andy Burnham premiership COULD mean for private hire and cross- border workng. The national approach to taxi and PH regulation is set for a massive shake-up. Having spent years fighting the over-saturation of local streets as Manchester Mayor, his leadership will directly impact how out-of-district vehicles operate. The end of the “virtual office” loophole: Burnham has consist- ently called out the practice of operators using a lone laptop in places such as Wolverhampton to bypass local standards. Expect tighter national definitions on what constitutes a local operator, requir- ing a genuine physical presence where bookings are accepted. Enforcement of the “start or finish” rule: a core objective will be introducing legal boundaries. This means a PH journey would be legally required to either begin or end in the borough where the vehicle and driver are licensed, effectively stopping out-of-town plates from working entirely localised circuits. Devolved capping powers: rather than relying purely on the free- market “passenger supply” model pushed by Whitehall civil servants, local authorities are likely to gain the explicit legal teeth to cap PH numbers - just as they currently do for HCs - to protect local driver livelihoods and reduce congestion.
l Could this actually happen? Yes, but it will be a fierce legislative battle.
The political will is there: Unlike previous Prime Ministers,
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Burnham has a proven track record of actively fighting for the taxi trade. He has already been lobbying for these exact changes through the English Devolution Bill. With the supreme power of Downing Street, he won’t have to beg central government for changes anymore - he can write them directly into law. The technology is ready: Implementing a “start or finish” rule is incredibly simple from a software perspective. Cloud dispatch systems already use geofencing. If the law changes, operators would be forced to update their algorithms overnight, and out-of-town plates would instantly stop receiving local jobs.
l The roadblocks to watch: The app giants and massive fleet owners will unleash corporate lawyers to fight any restrictions, claiming a ban hurts passenger availability.
Furthermore, civil
servants in Whitehall will still push for National Minimum Standards rather than localised caps.
l The bottom line: It won’t happen overnight, but a Burnham-led government means the highest office in the UK will finally be held by someone who intends to dismantle cross-border working and return control of local zones to local drivers.
l Other views from the trade: David Lawrie – Director NPHTA “The campaign to end predominant out-of-area use started long before Andy Burnham was even mayor. Yes, he will claim credit as he always does and deny failures for anything he doesn’t deliver. “But the cross-border debate is already long underway, with or without him. The “start or finish” rule does not exist and will not work. The only approach that has been proven to work, is the “intended use policy.” “Add this into legislation as a statutory requirement, and it becomes far more than just a policy or guidance which can be ignored. “That then grants the ability for councils to enforce the triple lock rule, 75(1)(a) LGMPA 1978, and automatically encourages local- ism once more!”
William Greenhalgh - cabbie “When Andy Burnham was mayor, he dealt with local issues affecting Manchester, with out-of- area licensing being one of them. Now he is possibly going to be the country’s PM, he will have national issues to deal with: welfare, immigration, defence, trade deals, markets, public finances, and a whole heap more. Transport won’t be his concern, instead it will be of concern to whomever he appoints as Minister of Transport. “The upshot is, there will be a reform of regulations in the trade but it’s likely going to be well below many
people’s expect-
ations with minimal long-term effects.”
JULY 2026 PHTM
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