The Licensing Regulatory Board met to discuss a number of issues relating to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire licensing in Barnsley. The board agreed to an administrative amendment to the Hackney Carriage tariff sheet, and also agreed to a public consultation on the use of CCTV in private hire vehicles that hold a home to school transport contract with the local authority. The board also received an update on enforcement work undertaken by Licensing Officers.

Hackney Carriage Tariff Amendment

The board agreed to amend the current Hackney Carriage tariff sheet to include the charge for parts of a mile. The request to amend the tariff sheet came from the Barnsley Hackney Carriage Association, who said that the amendment would allow Hackney Carriage drivers to accurately charge for part of a mile in line with the settings on their meters.

The report noted that Section 65 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 gives the council the authority to fix fares for Hackney Carriages.

The amendment will add a charge for each subsequent 97.77 yards (or part thereof) after the initial metered distance, with 18 increments of 10p per increment.

Taxi and Private Hire Policy - CCTV Consultation

The board agreed to a public consultation on the addition of the use of CCTV in private hire vehicles that currently hold a home to school transport contract with the local authority. The consultation will run for six weeks, commencing on 5 September 2025 and finishing on 17 October 2025. After the consultation, a report on the outcome of the public consultation will be submitted to Cabinet and Council for final approval.

The report noted that the council had previously approved a pilot scheme using funding secured via the Transport Innovation Fund to install CCTV in all Hackney Carriage vehicles. The main aim of the CCTV is to increase both driver and passenger safety and encourage more drivers to work at unsociable times. The pilot scheme was initially limited to Hackney Carriage Vehicles and the CCTV was installed by 16 July 2025.

There are sufficient funds remaining from the pilot scheme to now offer the installation of CCTV to private hire vehicle owners that hold a Home to School Transport contract with the local authority. According to the report, this group of drivers experience similar concerns regarding dealing with challenging behaviours from some passengers in their vehicles, and CCTV in these vehicles will also enhance safeguarding protocols and contribute to enhancing protection for passengers and drivers.

The report also noted that the Department for Transport (DfT) recommends that all licensing authorities make publicly available a cohesive policy document that brings together all their procedures on taxi and private hire vehicle licensing. Barnsley MBC implemented its Taxi and Private Hire Policy in March 2022.

The primary and overriding objective of the policy is to protect the public by ensuring that the licensing regime protects the vulnerable.

The current policy states that:

It is recognised that the hackney carriage and private hire trades provide a valuable public service, especially late at night, when other forms of public transport are not always available. Security for both drivers and passengers is a high priority. CCTV cameras can be a valuable deterrent to criminal activity as well as protecting the driver from unjustified complaints.

The proposed changes to the policy include the following:

• All Hackney Carriage and private hire vehicle owners that have been gifted CCTV equipment by Barnsley MBC must have the said CCTV system installed by the provider specified by the council.
• The CCTV system must be in use whenever the vehicle is in use as a licensed vehicle for the purpose of hire and reward.
• The council will be data controller for the purpose of data protection and therefore own the footage.
• Warning signage must be clearly and prominently displayed inside the vehicle advising passengers that a CCTV system is in operation in the vehicle.

Enforcement Update

The board received an overview of the enforcement work that Licensing Officers have recently undertaken.

The report noted that Licensing Officers have continued to proactively work with the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Trade and other Local Authority Departments and partners to ensure that any issues and concerns within the trades are raised and addressed accordingly.

Through the regular Trade Liaison Meetings, the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Associations have raised concerns in relation to the volume of private hire and Hackney Carriage vehicles licensed by other authorities that are working in the town centre.

On 12 July 2025 Licensing Enforcement Officers took part in a pro-active static nighttime operation in conjunction with South Yorkshire Police, focusing their attention on the Eldon Street taxi rank in the town centre and the drivers and vehicles that work in the night-time economy. Councillor Steve Green, Chair of the Licensing Committee was also in attendance for the operation.

During the operation, Councillor Steve Green observed in excess of 100 vehicles licensed by other local authorities pass through the town centre between 19:20 and 21:10.

13 of these out of town vehicles were spoken to on the night and they have been written to and advised in relation to offences under the Local Government Miscellaneous Provisions Act 1976 Section 64¹, Prohibition of other vehicles on Hackney Carriage stands and the Town Police and Clauses Act 1847 Section 45², Plying for hire without a Hackney Carriage proprietors' licence.

Their respective licensing authorities have also been contacted and informed of the action taken.

In addition to the above, four vehicles and drivers licensed by Barnsley MBC were spoken to and received written warnings in relation to the following:

• No rear licence plate
• No front licence plate
• Inappropriate levels of music being played in the vehicle
• Parking on a loading bay

The report stated that vehicle and driver non-compliance is an issue Officers are concerned with during the undertaking of every enforcement operation. Regardless of which authority issued the licences, illegal actions are not acceptable and cannot be excused and officers will continue to pro-actively enforce both the legislation and local conditions accordingly.

The report concluded that proactive and reactive enforcement operations will continue to take place on a regular basis, and that vehicle failures are always unacceptable.