NORTH YORKSHIRE: CONSULTATION ON ACCESSIBILITY
ROUND THE COUNCILS CUMBERLAND:
CONSULTATION ON STANDARDISING RULES
North Yorkshire is facing a shortage of wheelchair accessible taxis and is calling on residents to share their views to improve accessibility across the county. Currently, the council licenses approximately 70 WAVs, a ratio of one for every 9,000 residents. This figure falls significantly short of the provision in comparable rural areas, where the best-performing authorities offer one WAV for every 2,000-3,000 people. To reach a similar level of service, North Yorkshire would need to license an additional 200 WAVs. Despite previous efforts by former borough and district councils to increase WAV numbers, uptake has been minimal. Now, North Yorkshire Council is exploring various options to address the shortfall and is seeking public feedback on potential solutions. “We recognise the difficulties that passengers who need accessible vehicles face daily,” stated Cllr Greg White, the council’s executive member for licensing. “It can affect their mental health and leave them isolated, so we need to ensure the trade serves everybody, regardless of age, disability, gender, race, religion, or sex.” The council is also consulting on its draft Inclusive Service Plan (ISP), which focuses on the needs of individuals with both visible and less visible disabilities when using public transport. “We recognise that taxis should be accessible to all, and we need to strike a balance that supports users and is feasible for the trade to adopt,” Cllr White added. While acknowledging that rural areas typically have lower WAV provision than urban centres, he emphasised the need for improvement. “Although WAV provision is typically lower in rural authorities than in urban areas, we know that we can do better.” In addition to the accessibility issues, the council is seeking input on proposed changes to its hackney carriage and private hire licensing policy. These potential changes include adjustments to age limits for vehicles, the introduction of restricted private hire driver licences, less frequent driver medical assessments, and a review of minimum luggage space requirements. The consultation period, which began on 5 February, will continue until 30 April. Details can be found at:
www.northyorks.gov.uk/taxi-consultation.
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A 12-week public consultation has begun regarding the future of taxi licensing in North/West Cumbria. Currently, taxis in the Cumberland area still operate under licensing districts of the former Allerdale, Carlisle City and Copeland authorities, so the rules and tariffs are different for each of them. The consultation will explore whether to maintain this status quo or implement a unified, Cumberland-wide licensing policy. The council’s regulatory committee launched the con- sultation on 31 January, after reviewing a draft of the HC and PH Policy 2025. The initial draft sparked con- troversy with concerns about stringent regulations, including dress codes and a penalty points system. The updated policy features relaxed dress code require- ments and a fixed penalty scheme for breaches of vehicle licence conditions, such as lacking a valid MOT. The committee agreed on a points accumulation limit of 12 points over the licence period: three years for drivers and five years for operators. Councillors were informed that officers used a template points system adopted by other councils nationwide. The com- mittee agreed the points should remain active for longer than one year to serve as a stronger deterrent. The policy is set to take effect on April 1. The committee also decided to establish a working group to analyse the feedback received during the 12- week consultation period.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE: CRIMINAL CONVICTIONS CONSULTATION
Buckinghamshire Council has launched a public consultation on which criminal convictions should disqualify individuals from becoming or remaining licensed taxi drivers. Residents are being asked to comment on a range of offences, from weapons convictions and sexual crimes to offences against children and vulnerable adults. The council is seeking public opinion on whether it should refuse licences to individuals on the sex offenders’ register, those convicted of criminal harassment, and those whose crimes resulted in the death of another person. The consultation, which began at the end of January and runs until March 9, is accessible on the council’s website:
https://shorturl.at/n593o
MARCH 2025 PHTM
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