Wolverhampton defends approach to licensing private hire drivers amid call for change to law

Wolverhampton City Council has denied that it has acted improperly by licensing large numbers of minicab drivers who operate in other areas, after a BBC investigation found 9,000 drivers in Greater Manchester - one-third of the region’s total - had licences issued by Wolverhampton.

The BBC made Freedom of Information requests after Greater Manchester elected mayor Andy Burnham said in August: “They shouldn't be doing it because they're giving plates without being able to then monitor the performance” and said Greater Manchester required newer vehicles and more rigorous checks.

The BBC’s report led Transport for Greater Manchester to call for a change in the law.

Private hire drivers can operate anywhere in England and Wales whichever authority originally registered them, with the exception of London, which has its own system, although the law permits private hire drivers licensed in England and Wales to undertake journeys which start, end and travel through anywhere in the country, including London.

According to the BBC, there were just over 36,000 private hire drivers with a Wolverhampton plate, equivalent to about 13% of the city's entire population of about 262,000, while only 16,300 held a Greater Manchester licence plate.

Manchester City Council charges £255 to register as a new private hire driver and between £222 and £342 to register a vehicle depending on its age, while the fees at Wolverhampton are £49 for a one-year licence and £95 to register a vehicle under 10 years old, it said.

The Department for Transport’s Taxi and private hire vehicle statistics, England: 2023 report, published in July 2023, revealed that Wolverhampton had the highest number of licensed vehicles per 1,000 population, with 85.3, while several rural areas had less than 1 licensed taxi per 1,000 people.

“Differences between local authorities can reflect factors such as licensing policies and processes, as well as levels of provision. For example, it is sometimes the case that private hire vehicles can be licensed in one authority while operating primarily elsewhere. The large increase seen in licensed private hire drivers and vehicles by the City of Wolverhampton Council between 2022 and 2023 is likely to be as a result of some of these factors,” the report said.

Wolverhampton denied it was either under cutting other councils or handing licences to those not entitled to them.

In a statement to Local Government Lawyer, a Wolverhampton spokesperson said: “While City of Wolverhampton Council has never actively encouraged applications from drivers outside the city, existing legislation requires that if an application is submitted and requirements are met, then the application must be granted. The council may not refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area. 

“Our early adoption of digital technology has allowed us to offer a simple and efficient online application procedure, with the requirement that drivers attend in person for training and strict assessment before an application can be processed.   

“Applicants are usually local to the area they drive in, but many have chosen to be licensed in Wolverhampton due to our efficient, yet rigorous, licensing process.”

The spokesperson said Wolverhampton upheld the highest standards in drivers and operated an electronic system to check their Disclosure and Barring Service status.

Drivers must also attend a one-day training programme, provided independently by Worcestershire County Council.

A report last January to Wolverhampton’s regulatory committee illustrated the scale of the council’s minicab licensing operation.

Licensing manager Greg Bickerdike told councillors: “Because of the shortage of drivers, Wolverhampton has been inundated with applications from across the country, in part due to slow processing times and high fees in their home authority. This has created a backlog of applications.”

Mr Bickerdike’s report went on to say Wolverhampton’s licensing service was “struggling to meet demand” and as of December 2022, had 2,634 applications, equivalent to a two-months wait. Wolverhampton had 26,745 registered drivers in December 2022, an increase of 7,428 over the year.

He said Wolverhampton’s share of private hire drivers licences outside London was 21.6%, up from 17% in 2021-22, and its projected growth in the 2022-23 financial year was “greater than the growth of all other English licensing authorities combined over any of the last five years”.

The report said: “The council must cautiously grow the service to meet demand and compliance needs, by balancing the risks of overemployment with poor customer service by a short-staffed service.

“The council has recruited 20 employees into the service this year, to meet this demand.”

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “The safety of passengers is paramount, which is why we recently brought in tighter checks for drivers, and continue to engage with local authorities to address issues.

“The new law prevents unfit taxi and [minicab] drivers from simply reapplying for a licence in other areas by alerting the national database to concerns about their prior behaviour.”

Mark Smulian