Nottingham council reveals push for more locally licensed drivers after cross-border tyre issue found
Updated: 11 hours ago
A private hire vehicle (PHV) operating in Nottingham was found with both rear tyres worn down to the cord during a routine check by Nottingham City Council’s Taxi Enforcement team.
A council licensing spokesperson confirmed that the driver’s licensing authority had been notified and stressed the importance of daily vehicle checks to ensure passenger and driver safety.
A Nottingham City Council Licensing spokesperson said: “Out-of-town PHV checked by Nottingham City Council Taxi Enforcement and both rear tyres were worn down to the cord.
“The driver's licensing authority have been notified. This is why carrying out daily checks on your vehicle is important.”
The incident has reignited concerns over cross-border licensing, with one resident questioning why many taxis operating in Nottingham are licensed in Wolverhampton.
The council explained that the Deregulation Act 2015 allows drivers to operate outside the area where they are licensed. Wolverhampton, which significantly reduced its licensing fees in recent years.
Nottingham City Council said it is actively working to encourage Nottingham-based drivers to return to local licensing, with positive progress being made.
The council spokesperson added: “This (cross-border hiring) is allowed by sec 55a Deregulation Act 2015, which permits cross border working.
“They (City of Wolverhampton Council) reduced their fees quite substantially a few years ago and licence over 48,000 drivers nationally, second only to TfL, as a result. We are currently working to encourage Nottingham based drivers to return to be licensed with NCC and are seeing some success.”
