The Council, as the Licensing Authority under the Town Police Clause Act 1847 and the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, has responsibility for the licensing of Hackney Carriages and Private Hire vehicles, drivers and operators within its district.

In July 2020 the Department for Transport published its Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Licensing Standards. In the Standards the Department recommended that all licensing authorities make publicly available a cohesive policy document that brings together all their procedures on taxi and private hire licensing.

Officers have prepared a draft policy which brings together all the Council’s current policies and procedures into one document; including amendments to the policies and conditions in respect of the Greater Manchester Minimum Licensing Standards which were adopted by the Council in 2021.

The report proposes the Council adopt this new overarching Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy to be effective from the 1^st December 2023; and to be reviewed every five years.