Peterborough’s Licensing Committee agreed on Thursday 8 October to consult on a new hackney carriage and private hire policy for 2026 to 2031. The committee report asked for one month, including the trade federations. The consultation is not open yet. The BBC said it is due later this month.
Nothing in the draft is in force. After the month, the committee looks at the replies, then full council adopts a final policy and sets the start date.
The current policy was agreed in June 2022. Councillor Christian Hogg, cabinet member for regulatory services, said it needs replacing with a robust and up-to-date framework.
Vehicles
Petrol and diesel vehicles licensed before 26 July 2022 currently keep acquired rights. As the draft sets those rights out, they can stay licensed until 10 years old or 31 December 2029, whichever comes first. The proposal is to remove them.
Officers also want a shorter life in the trade for petrol and diesel, a move towards hybrid and zero-emission vehicles, and a maximum licensing age of 18 years for zero-emission vehicles. The maximum CO2 limit would go. The ultra-low emission category would be replaced by a hybrid category covering mild, full and plug-in hybrids.
The list of vehicles approved as hackneys would be reviewed, so newer and cheaper models can replace the older fleet.
The rule that certain mechanical failures must be repaired within a month would go. Officers say parts are not available that quickly.
Tests and signs
Licensed vehicles are tested at Aragon, the council’s depot. The consultation will look at dropping the certificate of compliance and using a DVSA MOT instead, still with Aragon as the priority garage. That option needs a second ramp. Councillors are also asked whether a limited number of other DVSA MOT centres should be appointed.
Internal and external signs would still be required. The report keeps a £100 fixed penalty for not displaying them. The part 1 and 2 notices inside the vehicle would go. Officers say those notices could not be produced, and other ways of identifying the driver are already in place.
CCTV stays voluntary. The council says it will require it only if the law or national standards change.
Operators
Every new and renewal private hire operator application would face financial checks, on top of the HMRC tax check. The draft asks for evidence of solvency, credit history and public liability insurance. The report says the point is to show an operator can carry passenger-transport contracts, and to look at money laundering and organised crime risks before a licence is granted.
Safeguarding is the other thread. The draft would take in the Department for Transport’s statutory standards. Officers tie that to Baroness Casey’s national audit, published in June 2025 and updated in January 2026, and to journeys carrying children and adults at risk. The draft still asks whether safeguarding refresher training, app booking records and out-of-area working need to be tightened. Those are consultation questions, not settled rules.