More than 150 violent offenders granted taxi licences in Midlands city last year
Summary
Wolverhampton city council in the UK issued more than 42,000 taxi and private hire driver licences last year, including to over 150 people convicted of violent crimes. The council said it carefully reviews all applications and uses stricter background checks than other areas, but some experts and officials have raised concerns about safety and inconsistent licensing standards across the country.Key Facts
- Wolverhampton granted 438 taxi and private hire licences last year to people with criminal convictions.
- Among these, 158 had violent crime convictions, 61 had drug-related convictions, 36 had drink offences, and 4 had sexual offence convictions.
- The city council issued more than 42,000 driver licences from April 2023 to March 2024, more than six times the amount issued by Birmingham and Bradford.
- 96% of the licensed drivers under Wolverhampton’s licence live outside the city.
- Wolverhampton council performs Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks on all drivers, which is unique among councils.
- The council’s licensing panel includes a trained decision maker and solicitor who assess each application thoroughly.
- The UK government provides guidelines suggesting people convicted of sexual offences should not be licensed and people with violent offence convictions should have a 10-year gap after finishing their sentence before applying.
- There are ongoing discussions in the UK government about improving and standardizing taxi licensing rules and limiting drivers working outside the area they are licensed in.
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