CUMBERLAND TAXI ZONES: Consultation launched to merge three licensing areas into one
Cumberland Council has launched a consultation to assess whether the region’s three existing taxi licensing zones should be merged into a single authority-wide zone.
Since the council’s formation, the former taxi licensing areas of Allerdale, Carlisle, and Copeland have remained separate. Each continues to issue its own licences and enforce its own byelaws, resulting in differing rules, tariffs, and restricted working areas.
Under the current system, drivers and vehicles operating across Cumberland must hold separate licences for each of the three zones. Moving to a single licensing zone would reduce this requirement to just two licences—one for hackney carriage vehicles and one for hackney carriage drivers—covering the entire area.
A unified zone would also allow drivers to operate at all ranks across Cumberland, offering greater flexibility and access to work opportunities.
The consultation, led by Cumberland Council’s Regulatory Committee, seeks input from residents, taxi operators, drivers, businesses, and other stakeholders. It will run from 28 February 2025 to 22 May 2025.
Following the consultation, the gathered responses will be reviewed before a final decision is made.
Cumberland Councillor and Portfolio Holder for Licensing and Regulatory Services, Cllr Bob Kelly, said: “This consultation is an opportunity to have your say on the proposed de-zoning for Cumberland and we want to consider as many views from the public as possible.
“I would encourage anyone with views on this matter to have their say and respond to the consultation with their thoughts.
“We want to receive as many views as possible to identify potential problems and areas of potential disagreement before any changes are made that could cause problems for individuals or the service.
“Those wanting to submit their views should do so via the purpose-built consultation, as responses outside of this will not be presented to the Licensing Authority.”
