GLASGOW LICENSING OVERHAUL
GLASGOW TO REMOVE FIRE EXTINGUISHERS AND MODERNISE WHOLE OF LICENSING REGIME
Glasgow City Council is to scrap an old rule forcing taxi/PH drivers to carry fire extinguishers following a campaign by Scottish PH Association highlighting the requirements actually pose safety risks.
The change is part of a major over-haul of Glasgow’s taxi/PH licensing conditions. However, while the wider policy review introduces sweeping updates across the sector,
it’s the removal of the mandatory fire
extinguishers that marks a major victory for trade reformers who have fought for years to align Scottish licensing with modern safety standards.
The SPHA has long argued that this requirement is not only fundamentally flawed but introduces unnecessary risks to drivers and the travelling public alike. Under current guidelines from national fire bodies, drivers without firefighting training are actively discouraged from attempting to tackle vehicle blazes.
Eddie Grice, General Secretary of the SPHA, welcomed the shift in perspective, stating: “The primary purpose of an extinguisher in a vehicle should only ever be as an aid to escape, not as a tool to fight a fire. In practice, forcing an untrained driver to tackle a vehicle fire is minimal in benefit and maximum in risk. National safety guidance is explicit by saying if a vehicle catches fire, you get the occupants out quickly and to a safe place. You do not open the bonnet and attempt to extinguish an engine fire yourself. The instruction is simple. Get out, stay out, and call 999.”
The SPHA’s campaign has relied on aligning Scottish practices with evolving UK standards. In England, major licensing authorities, such as Southampton and Milton Keynes, have
recently dismantled their
extinguisher requirements. This followed clear warnings from insurance bodies that claims could be invalidated if an amateur attempted to fight a fire, alongside updated Best Practice Guidance from the DfT and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC).
Beyond the fire risks, carrying the equipment has caused practical issues; securing heavy extinguishers can entail drilling directly into fascia panels, bulkheads or frames. The SPHA highlights that the structural modification causes permanent damage and risks puncturing hidden wiring or vital electrical systems.
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While Glasgow’s decision marks a watershed moment, the SPHA emphasises this is part of a larger, coordinated effort spanning many authorities and national legislative discussions. “Eliminating this flawed requirement authority by authority, is an incredibly impractical way to manage a transport sector,” Grice explained. “Unless all councils act simultaneously, we simply create a patchwork of inconsistent rules. That’s why the SPHA has been pushing this issue in individual committee rooms, as well as at national legislative level.
“We’re campaigning for unified national vehicle standards to guarantee regulatory consistency and safety across all Scotland.”
The removal of the extinguishers forms part of a broader modernisation of Glasgow’s licensing regime. At meetings held in late 2025 and early 2026, the council’s Licensing Section established dedicated Working Groups to completely review conditions that had sat untouched for 15 years.
The SPHA was heavily involved throughout this process, securing a seat on the PHC Working Group alongside council enforcement officers, Police Scotland and select trade representatives to metic- ulously draft the new framework.
Following a series of summits between February - April 2026, a comprehensive list of revised conditions was generated including: updates to minimum ages for vehicles, use of CCTV, protective screens in PHCs, conditions on vehicle modifications and streamlining rules on taximeters in PHCs.
The final draft of revised conditions was issued to the working groups in May, with no further amendments sought by the trade. Glasgow’s Licensing and Regul- atory Committee approved the changes on 10 June 2026 and they will take effect on 1st September.
For the SPHA, however, the successful removal of the fire extinguisher rule serves as a powerful precedent for what targeted, legally-grounded trade representation can achieve for driver safety. Mr Grice concluded: “We hope to see this same change take place around the country and SPHA will continue working towards greater uniformity of standards across the board”.
JULY 2026 PHTM
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