Council’s U-turn over taxi licence hikes

Jun 13 2009 by Joanne Douglas, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

The new fees will be presented to the council’s cabinet on June 23 and in view of the current difficult economic climate cabinet will be recommended to approve the revised fee increase proposals.

The council said the new fees allow them to move towards making the taxi licensing function self-financing.

Clr Christine Iredale, Chair of the Kirklees Licensing and Safety Committee, said: “The council has a duty to balance the concerns of the taxi trade with the duty to secure high standards of public safety in all transport services.

“It expects to work with the trade to improve service standards including vehicle safety and cleanliness, driver training and improved compliance with legal standards in respect of licenses, insurance and operator procedures.”

The new fees compare favourably with neighbouring Wakefield and Bradford which are both significantly higher.

The new proposed license fees:

New Driver – £115

Driver renewal – £47.50

Private hire – £130

Hackney carriage – £120

Operator up to three cars – £90 and over this £190 per car

The original proposals for consultation:

New Driver – £85

Driver Renewal – £60

Private Hire – £135

Hackney Carriage – £135

Operator up to three cars – £110 or £380 per car.