Liverpool City Council has published a statutory notice proposing higher maximum fees for hackney carriage and private hire vehicle licences, plus the five-year private hire operator licence.
The notice is dated 1 October 2026 and was made under section 70 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976. That starts a 28-day objection window. It does not mean the new charges are already in force.
The rises follow approval by the council’s General Purposes Licensing Committee. That committee also backed other licensing changes on 24 September, including mandatory passenger-feedback QR codes in licensed vehicles, which TaxiFeed has already reported. The Section 70 notice is the separate legal step required before vehicle and operator fees can change.
What would go up
A one-year hackney carriage vehicle renewal would rise from £180 to £190. The one-year private hire vehicle renewal would do the same, £180 to £190.
A new one-year private hire vehicle licence is proposed to rise from £185 to £200. The five-year private hire operator licence would increase from £800 to £830.
The vehicle-replacement refund would edge up from £15 to £16 for each complete calendar month.
Until the process finishes, the current figures remain the ones that apply.
How to object
Written objections must reach the council by 29 October 2026. They go to Licensing and Public Protection Services, by post or email, as set out in the notice.
Copies of the notice can be inspected free of charge at the Cunard Building on weekdays during the objection period. Liverpool’s taxi licensing pages do not currently publish a full fee schedule online, so the notice and the council’s licensing team are the places to check the detail.
If no objections are lodged, or if any that are made are withdrawn, the variation can take effect after the objection period. If objections stand, the council must consider them and set a further date for the fees to come in, with or without changes, under the Act.