RIBBLE VALLEY:
ROUND THE COUNCILS SLOUGH:
CRIMINAL CHECKS ON TAXI FIRM STAFF
Ribble Valley Council is considering new rules that would require taxi/PH firms to carry out criminal record checks on all staff members, including office workers, and notify passengers if their driver is licensed in a different town. The proposals come as the government moves toward national licensing changes following past CSE scandals where taxis/PHVs were sometimes involved. While drivers already undergo high-level background checks, the new local plan would expand this to everyone working behind the scenes. Council solicitor Stephen Barker explained: “This new change would require a basic DBS check for all operators and office staff.” He added that while the council cannot view the records directly, they would require businesses to provide evidence that the checks have been completed. The council also wants to address the rise in “out-of- area” drivers working locally through sub-contracting. Under the proposal, customers must be warned if a vehicle licensed by another council is being sent to pick them up. “Our new proposal is that the customer should be notified if an out-of-area driver and licensed car will be used,” Mr. Barker stated. “If the passenger has a complaint, they would have to take it up with the council elsewhere.” The council will now consult before making a final decision on the new requirements.
PORTSMOUTH: MANDATORY VEHICLE CHECKS
Portsmouth City Council voted at a Licensing Committee meeting on Friday 20 February 2026 to implement, from the 1st April 2026, mandatory daily walk-around/ pre-use checks on all taxis and private hire vehicles. The council is implementing the relevant provisions of the Department for Transport (DfT) Taxi and Private Hire Best Practice Guidance for Licensing Authorities. An FOI request made by Checkedsafe revealed that 49% of such vehicles failed their compliance MOT on first presentation. The MOT is the minimum standard a vehicle has to attain before being road legal.
PHTM MARCH 2026 BACKTRACK ON GREEN RULES
Slough councillors have voted to push back strict environmental rules for taxis and PHVs to support drivers struggling with costs. The decision marks a major U-turn on the town’s air quality plans, with officials warning the move is “quite a significant shift” from an already agreed policy Slough Borough Council had originally planned to stop licensing new diesel vehicles from January 1, 2026 as part of an already-approved 2023 policy. However, following a meeting on February 11, councillors agreed to delay the ban on diesel vehicles until 2030 and petrol cars until 2031. They also extended the maximum age for licensed cars from nine years to 12 years, provided the vehicles remain roadworthy.
The phasing out of diesel and petrol vehicles will not apply to wheelchair accessible vehicles. The shift comes as the industry continues to recover from the pandemic and faces a lack of promised financial help. A £370,000 government grant intended to help drivers buy cleaner cars has faced “significant delay,” leaving many without the means to upgrade. Ibrar Khan, chairman of the private hire drivers’ association, told the meeting that “drivers were told help was coming. Instead, the grant [was] undelivered for years, and the policy has now gone live without the support mechanism that was used to justify [the changes].” He argued that “this is not a risk the trade should be forced to carry.” A report states that he project is anticipated to start this year, and will be used to allow some drivers to take part in a ‘try before you buy’ scheme and support charging costs for those who don’t have access to EV charging points. Cllr Waqas Sabah supported this view, noting that “the infrastructure is not in place” and there is currently nothing to help drivers make the switch to electric. Others pointed out that taxi drivers were being unfairly singled out for air pollution caused by Heathrow Airport, local industry and data centres. Tessa Lindfield, the council’s director of public health, cautioned that the delay of the policy’s implementation to 2030 would be a “reversal” of the town’s air quality management plan. Despite these concerns, the committee voted to ‘formally’ change the Vehicle Age Policy, with four votes for, four abstentions and no votes against.
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