The General Licensing and Registration Committee of County Durham Council was scheduled to consider a report regarding the relaxation of its Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy. The meeting's agenda focused on a single item: whether to allow renewals for licensed vehicles that do not meet current Euro 6 emissions standards.

Relaxation of Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy

The committee was scheduled to discuss a report from the Corporate Director of Neighbourhoods and Environment concerning Section 4.2 of the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy. This section, adopted in 2023, states that from 1 April 2026, renewal applications for licensed vehicles meeting Euro 5 emissions standards or lower would not be accepted, with the exception of wheelchair-accessible vehicles.

The report highlighted that a number of licensed vehicles did not meet the Euro 6 requirement by the deadline. Following representations from the taxi trade, the report indicated that applications for non-Euro 6 vehicles were to be considered by a sub-committee on a case-by-case basis. Since that indication, four sub-committee hearings had been held, considering 15 applications, all of which were refused due to a lack of clear and compelling reasons to depart from the policy.

The committee was asked to determine whether renewal applications for Euro 5 vehicles should continue to be accepted. Three options were presented:

• Option 1: Continue to strictly apply the policy, not accepting renewal applications for Euro 5 vehicles (unless wheelchair accessible).
• Option 2: Deviate from the policy to permit renewal applications for Euro 5 vehicles, with all such applications to be determined by a sub-committee.
• Option 3: Deviate from the policy to permit renewal applications for Euro 5 vehicles, with the authority to determine these applications delegated to senior Licensing Service officers or managers.

The report noted that relaxing the policy could potentially increase emissions, which might slow progress towards air quality targets outlined in the Council Plan 2025–2030 and the Durham City Air Quality Action Plan. However, it was also stated that the number of Euro 5 vehicles that would potentially remain on the fleet would be minimal.

The report also outlined considerations for determining renewal applications for Euro 5 vehicles, should the policy be relaxed. These included evidence of the vehicle's service history, previous inspection results, a recent roadworthiness test, the overall condition of the vehicle, its intended usage, and its operating environment. Applications with recent safety-related failures were unlikely to be granted.

The committee was also asked to consider whether decision-making for these renewal applications should be delegated to officers, supported by clear criteria, or remain with the sub-committee. The report referenced Department for Transport best practice guidance, which encourages the use of emissions-based policies for taxi and private hire vehicles. The policy itself aligns with this guidance.

The report also mentioned that passenger transport conditions of contract do not specifically reference Euro 6 vehicle standards, instead managing compliance through maximum vehicle age limits, with scope for the Council to approve older vehicles on a case-by-case basis. This is generally applied to larger vehicles such as coaches and double-deckers.

The meeting was scheduled to be attended by Councillor S Franklin (Chair) and Councillor J Grant (Vice-Chair), along with other members of the General Licensing and Registration Committee, including Councillor Gary Hutchinson (Mayor of Durham) and Councillor Amanda Hopgood (Deputy Mayor of Durham, Leader of the Liberal Democrat Group).