Councillors agree to taxi vehicle age limit increase in Wakefield

The move comes after the local authority was accused of putting cabbies’ “livelihoods at risk” during a town hall protest.

The council’s licensing committee agreed to a recommendation to a temporary increase in the age limit to 12 years for saloon vehicles and 15 years for multi-seater vehicles.

Under the current policy, most private hire and hackney vehicles will not be licensed when they reach ten years of age.

Councillors also agreed to a public consultation on the issue.

The meeting heard the consultation will take for four weeks and the views of members of the public, drivers and professional bodies will be sought.

A report to committee members said: “The council has been requested to consider an extension to the upper age limit for licensed vehicles, citing the unprecedented challenges and hardship experienced by the trade in recent years.

Wakefield currently has a fleet of 1,054 licensed taxis.

In July, drivers staged an angry demonstration outside County Hall ahead of a full council meeting.

Members of Wakefield Drivers Association (WDA) called for the local authority to ease a number of restrictions similar to neighbouring local authorities, including vehicle age limits.

Yaser Ahmed, president of WDA, said: “In a cost of living crisis we think it unfair for drivers to have to replace a vehicle.

“Kirklees, Bradford and Leeds have all increased it to 15 or 16 years.

“All we are saying is at least give us some relief.”