Council issues 8,563 taxi licences in five months

Wolverhampton’s council issued 8,563 new taxi licences in the first five months of this year, which is more than 30 times higher than other Midlands authorities.

The figures were obtained by the GMB union, which said drivers were concerned about a “flooded marketplace” that was pushing down earnings.

City of Wolverhampton Council has become a magnet for taxi licence applications in recent years, which council papers have suggested was due to longer processing times and higher fees elsewhere.

The authority said it could not refuse applicants because they lived in a different area.

The GMB’s research, which contains figures for 16 licensing authorities in the West and East Midlands, found that 277 licences were issued in Birmingham, which was in second place despite being a far larger city.

There were 194 licences issued in Walsall, 76 in Leicester, and 27 Coventry.

A spokesperson for the council said: “While City of Wolverhampton Council has never actively encouraged applications from drivers outside the city, existing legislation requires that if an application is submitted and requirements are met, then the application must be granted.

“Applicants have always been able to apply to any licensing authority for taxi licences and the council cannot refuse an applicant simply because they live in a different area.

“It is illegal for licensing authorities to impose a limit on the number of private hire licences it issues.”

The local authority added that it was not for councils, but private hire vehicle operators, and in many cases the drivers themselves who set fares, and therefore incomes.

“As a council, we support further standardisation, however, legislation is required to introduce any changes and the council is not in control of this,” it added.