Devolution and Taxis

The Government have now (8^th January 2026) launched the formal consultation on whether to give all local transport authorities responsibility for taxi and PHV licensing, as outlined in the English Devolution White Paper.

Following the national enquiry, Baroness Casey report into child sexual exploitation and abuse highlighted inconsistencies in how local authorities handle specific regulatory functions including taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. In the Government’s subsequent English Devolution White Paper, they reaffirmed the view that robust standards in safety must be applied by all licensing authorities.

The Government have committed to legislate to tackle the inconsistent standards of taxi and PHV driver licensing and have introduced an amendment to the English Devolution and Community Empowerment Bill to enable the setting of national minimum standards. 

This new consultation is considering the transfer of responsibility for taxi and private hire licensing to local transport authorities. The Government hope that this measure will also reduce the occurrence of out-of-area working, reduce the factors that induce it, and better match enforcement resources.

Interested respondents have until 1^st April 2025 to provide their views on the consultation.

We shall keep you updated.