NPHTA
UPDATE...NPHTA UPDATE
DEVOLUTION AND NATIONAL STANDARDS – WHERE ARE WE NOW? There have
Article by Dave Lawrie, Director NPHTA
dave@nphta.co.uk
So much has happened since the PHTM EXPO. David Lawrie looks at where the Government’s proposed reforms currently stand, what has been discussed behind closed doors, and what they could mean for taxi and private hire licensing.
It seems remarkable just how much has happened since the PHTM EXPO, where we discussed the Transport Select Committee investigation, out-of-area working, national standards and what was potentially on the horizon for our industry.
On the day of our seminars, the King’s Speech also set out proposals affecting taxi and private hire licensing. Many of the issues raised reflected recommendations subsequently made by the Transport Select Committee - and, importantly, many were matters that we within the trade have been raising for a very long time.
Shortly afterwards, the Committee published its findings in: Raising the standard: licensing of taxis and private hire vehicles.
At the same time, the wider devolution and local government reorganisation programme is moving ahead, with new unitary structures bringing together responsibilities previously spread across smaller local authorities and wider highways and education authorities.
These new authorities will ultimately be responsible for the full range of council functions - planning, education, highways, street lighting, waste collection and, importantly for us, taxi and private hire licensing.
Within the enormous scale of local government reform, taxi and private hire may represent only a relatively small part; but don’t mistake small for insignificant.
The work affecting our sector is already seriously under way.
10 been numerous workshops and
stakeholder discussions involving the Department for Transport, licensing authorities, trade representatives, disability organisations, safeguarding bodies and others. And there is a huge amount to resolve.
National Standards – what will they actually mean?
We have made the same point throughout this process: if national standards simply standardise the requirements placed upon drivers, vehicles and operators, they will not solve some of the fundamental problems within the current licensing system.
l Licence shopping could still exist. l Different turnaround times could still exist. l Huge variations in licensing fees could still exist.
That is why national standards must also address the licensing authorities themselves - the regulators and decision-makers responsible for administering the system.
We were therefore extremely pleased to see clear recognition that reform must extend beyond those being licensed.
One of the first discussions took place with the then Transport Minister, Lilian Greenwood, where we went through a broad overview of the proposed changes.
One important question was: What exactly does “national minimum standards” mean?
If minimum means minimal, that would hardly represent progress.
The response was reassuring. The national minimum would effectively represent an absolute floor below which no licensing authority could go.
That does not necessarily mean every licensing policy across England would become identical.
For example, if a national standard established a maximum vehicle exit age of ten years, no authority could permit an older age.
SEPTEMBER 2026 PHTM
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