Update on the implementation of the North Northamptonshire wide Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing policy

19 August 2025

Following the approval by Executive and Full Council in June, North Northamptonshire Council is today providing an update on the implementation of the new policy.

As part of the process, the new by-laws must be approved by the Department for Transport (DfT) and, due to the summer recess, officers have received notification that this is unlikely to take place before the previous go-live date of 1 September 2025.

The updated Policy and new North Northamptonshire Council wide Hackney Carriage zone, cannot take effect until the new by-laws have received approval from the DfT. With this in mind, the council are currently working towards a revised start date of Monday 3 November 2025.

Whilst the by-laws go through the formal process, a consultation has today been launched on the proposed knowledge test for drivers across North Northamptonshire.

The consultation looks at the council’s plans to implement new geographical and knowledge testing for drivers of hackney carriage vehicles. The proposed new testing will apply to applicants for a hackney carriage driver licence and combined hackney carriage and private hire driver licence.

We know that this topic has been a talking point within the industry for some time which is why it’s important that we provide this update and next steps. I hope everyone can understand and appreciate that the go-live date is dependent on the Department for Transport approving the by-laws which has been put on hold whilst Government is on summer recess.

Alongside this process, we have today launched a consultation on the proposed knowledge test for North Northamptonshire, and we are encouraging those likely to be impacted by any changes to get involved and have your say before the deadline.Cllr Kirk Harrison, the council’s Executive Member for Regulatory Services

As part of the approval process for the new Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing policy, North Northamptonshire Council’s Executive and Full Council have also requested a further review post-implementation of the new policy to consider specific aspects of the Policy, including requirements for wheelchair-accessible vehicles, the exceptional age policy, and transitional/grandfather rights. This consultation will take place at a later date once the new policy is in place.

Your Voice Matters

Consultation and engagement activities can be completed online via North Northamptonshire Council’s Consultation and Engagement Hub and the consultation on the knowledge test for taxi drivers will be open until 29 September 2025.