ROUND THE COUNCILS SEFTON:
OUT OF BOROUGH APPLICATIONS SURGE
Sefton Council is facing an unprecedented wave of taxi driver applications, but only half of the prospective drivers actually live within the borough. At a recent Licensing and Regulatory Committee meeting, principal licensing officer Mark Toohey revealed that around 50 new drivers are applying every single week. This massive surge has left council officials baffled. “The council is at a loss as to what is behind the surge,” Mr Toohey stated. He suggested Sefton might simply be seen as an “efficient” and “attractive” borough for processing applications. By April 1, active licences jumped to 12,957, up from 10,958 last year. Strikingly, half of these are from outside the wider Liverpool City Region. To keep up, the council increased its testing capacity, offering 4,109 knowledge tests over the past year compared to just 1,165 previously. While the pass rate sits at 58%, nearly 1,000 applicants failed to show up. Because the £50 fee is non- refundable, this provided an unexpected financial boost, leaving the council’s reserve fund “fairly healthy.” Committee chair Cllr John Kelly observed, “We’ve actually made a few bob out of that then, haven’t we?” However, the boom has also prompted stricter oversight. Recent enforcement checks on 205 vehicles at local airports and stations revealed that 40% had defects, resulting in immediate suspensions or defect notices.
DONCASTER: TAXI POLICY FACES MAJOR OVERHAUL
City of Doncaster Council officials have recommended sweeping updates to the local taxi and PH licensing policy, including a strict new ban on licensing a vehicle previously written off by an insurance company. The move follows a 12-week public consultation that drew 545 responses, consisting of 53.4% taxi drivers, 44% members of the public, and 2.6% other respondents. Under current rules, structural (Category S) and non- structural (Category N) write-offs can still be licensed if they pass a roadworthiness inspection. However, the council’s report highlighted significant safety concerns with this system, stating: “There is no standard level of inspection report to establish the
PHTM JULY 2026
suitability and safety of vehicles which have previously been written off.” Officials added that they have seen a wide variety of inspection reports, “with varying levels of detail and, in most cases, no clear indication that the vehicle is safe and roadworthy.” The consultation revealed a sharp division between the public and cabbies, with two-thirds of the trade voting to keep the existing rules. However, the wider results namely 250 combined votes backed a policy shift compared to 221 votes to keep things as they are. Officials have ultimately recommended “option two” be adopted in the new licensing policy, meaning the new ban will also apply to vehicles already licensed. To ease the transition, existing drivers will be given a three-year grace period to find a suitable replacement vehicle. Beyond the write-off ban, officials have recommended scrapping the rule requiring new applicants to provide two-character references. Conversely, health checks will become stricter, requiring drivers to submit a medical certificate with every new application and renewal, and then annually once they reach the age of 65. Looking ahead, the council’s licensing committee will hold future meetings to deliberate three additional proposed changes: making in-car CCTV mandatory, introducing stricter vehicle exhaust emission limits, and deciding whether vehicle compliance testing must be done exclusively at DVSA-approved MOT centres.
AMBER VALLEY: TEST CENTRE MOVES 25 MILES UP THE M1
Taxi companies are furious after Amber Valley Borough Council “suddenly” moved its vehicle testing centre 25 miles away to Eckington. Drivers say the long drive will drain their time and profits, branding the decision “unfeasible” and “unfair.” Velda Hutsby, owner of Nat-a-Jack Taxis, warned the move has “immediate, damaging ramifications for local small businesses” who must now pay staff to drive and wait at the distant site. She added: “We feel very let down to be honest with you.” Veteran driver Sam Sharpe estimated the change could cost individual drivers £260 a year and take the area’s 168 taxis off the road for a combined 32 days. The council defended the move, explaining their previous contractor unexpectedly stopped providing the service. A spokesperson said the situation was “outside of the council’s control” and required an emergency solution to prevent licensing from grinding to a halt.
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