ALL THINGS LICENSING
Article by Mike Smith, Senior Specialist for Licensing and Community Safety at Guildford Borough Council and Vice-Chair of the Institute of Licensing South East Region:
www.instituteoflicensing.org
Please note that this article represents my own views which are not presented as the views of the Institute of Licensing or Guildford BC.
EXPO reflections 2026: momentum builds as reform moves centre stage
Firstly, I want to thank the PHTM team, exhibitors and attendees for another excellent Expo in Milton Keynes. As always, it proved to be one of the key events in the licensing calendar, but this year carried an added sense of anticipation and energy following the announcement of new taxi and private hire legislation in the King’s Speech on the opening day.
There was a real buzz around the venue from the outset. Conversations on stands, in seminar rooms and across the exhibition floor all seemed to return to the same topic: the long-awaited reform of taxi and PHV legislation is now firmly on the horizon.
I thoroughly enjoyed my time on the Institute of Licensing (IoL) stand and contributing to the seminar discussions. It was particularly encouraging to speak with so many members of the trade and suppliers about the work of the IoL. Hopefully, that engagement will translate into more operators, drivers and officers joining and benefitting from improved professional licensing knowledge, something that will be increasingly important as reform progresses.
Seminar highlights: a sector ready for change
Turning to the seminar in which I participated, this was a Q&A session on the state of legislation. The panel featured representatives from operators Take Me and Veezu, the NPHTA, James Button and myself from the IoL, and in somewhat of a coup, Ruth Cadbury MP, who is the Chair of the House of Commons Transport Select Committee Inquiry into the Licensing of Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles.
As ever, the discussion was lively, insightful and if anything too short, given half the chance we could still be there taking about taxis.
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Many of the questions related to common themes, out-of-area
working, inconsistency between
authorities and how the National Standard and enforcement powers enacted in the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill (discussed in May’s PHTM) will work in practice.
With the King’s Speech confirming forthcoming legislation, the conversation moved beyond frustration and into cautious optimism that some of these long- running disparities may finally be addressed.
One area that did give me pause for thought was that some of the questions raised were on topics that have already been explored in depth within my articles in PHTM. That underlines just how important it is for those in the trade to keep themselves properly informed, particularly at a time when the legislative landscape is evolving so quickly.
There is a wealth of support available to help with this. The Institute of Licensing offers a wide range of taxi licensing training, conferences, publications and regular updates, all designed to ensure that both licensing officers and licence holders stay up to date with the latest developments and expectations. Taking a small amount of time to engage with these resources, including the regular articles in PHTM, can make a significant difference in levels of under- standing and staying ahead of change.
As a simple starting point, I would encourage anyone with an interest in licensing to sign up to the IoL’s free weekly Licensing Flashes, which provide timely updates and insight direct to your inbox.
You can use this link to subscribe to receive our Licensing Flashes:
https://shorturl.at/Z4ljs
However, despite the diversity of topics, one clear and consistent message emerged from the session: the industry wants, and needs, greater consistency.
This is something that representatives from the DfT and devolved administrations could not have missed, particularly given the timing of the King’s Speech announcement.
From conversation to legislation
There was absolutely no getting away from the excitement of the potential new laws which many of us have been asking for for so long. What made this year’s Expo particularly notable was not just the discussion itself, but the change in tone. In previous
JUNE 2026 PHTM
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