Redditch Borough Council has launched a consultation on new draft policies for how it licences taxi and private hire vehicles, operators and drivers.

The Council has been reviewing its existing policies in response to Government guidance issued last year called the “Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards,.

All Councils responsible for licensing taxis are under legal duty to do this

Proposed changes include new applicants undertaking mandatory safeguarding training and licence holders registering with the DBS update service, making it easier for the Council to find out if they receive any criminal convictions.

Chair of Redditch Borough Council’s Licensing Committee Cllr Salman Akbar said: “We want our customers and drivers to be confident that their journeys together will be safe ones, with this at the heart, we have worked with relevant stakeholders and have come up with the proposed changes, and the draft policy allows us to provide this reassurance.

“The consultation is now open to everyone, including the public and trade, and we would love to get your valuable feedback which will be used in decision making.”

The Council is also looking to update its policy on the licensing of vehicles used as taxis and private hire vehicles in order to encourage the take up of greener, less polluting vehicles where appropriate.

The Council’s Portfolio-holder for Licensing, Cllr Nyear Nazir said: “We are more than aware that our drivers and taxi firms haven’t been operating for some time because of the Covid restrictions and we have made sure that these policies are supportive of this.

“These are important changes which will mean improvements for our customers, drivers and the environment so it’s important that we hear from as many people as possible to ensure our new policies do this.”

Full details of the draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy can be found here and the survey is there too.