Isle of Wight Council officers want a new code of conduct for hackney carriage and private hire drivers, and a longer wait before a new driver can apply. The Environment and Community Protection Committee has not agreed either change.
The County Press reported that officers have asked the committee to send a draft Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Statement of Licensing Policy for 2027 to 2032 out to consultation for six weeks. Councillors meet at 5pm on Thursday 29 October 2026 in the council chamber at County Hall, Newport. The meeting is listed here. The forward plan calls the item a taxi policy review. Kevin Winchcombe, the licensing and business support manager, is the lead officer.
What would change for applicants
The current licensing policy was approved by the cabinet on 13 January 2022 and took effect on 31 January 2022. It is reviewed every five years. An applicant must have held a full driving licence for at least one year. The council’s application guidance still says 12 months. The draft would make that three years.
The three years is the time an applicant must already have held a full DVLA licence. The hackney carriage and private hire driver’s licence is a separate document. The council already grants that licence for three years, and an applicant can ask for one year or two.
Safeguarding training is already required for a new licence and for a renewal. Officers want that training expanded. The 2022 policy also allows the council to send a driver for a drug test. The draft would go further on drug and alcohol testing. The report, as described by the County Press, does not say what the extra tests would involve.
The code of conduct
The proposed code would set standards for every licensed driver. It covers a professional response to a complaint, avoiding an unnecessary confrontation, and responsible use of social media. It would not create a criminal offence. Officers say the council could take compliance into account when deciding whether someone remains a fit and proper person to hold a licence.
The 2022 policy already allows conduct which never led to a conviction to be used in that decision, including information from a complaint. The code would write the expected standard down. A failure to meet the standards in the current policy can already mean a licence is refused, or suspended until the driver complies.