NEWS POLITICS

Taxi drivers to get DBS check every 6 months

Taxi drivers in Powys will now be subject to background checks every six months after changes to guidance issued by governments.

1 year ago   2 minutes read    2,558 views

The image for Taxi drivers to get DBS check every 6 months
 
Share            Listen to the story

By Elgan Hearn
Local Democracy Reporter


Taxi drivers in Powys will now be subject to background checks every six months after changes to guidance issued by governments.

At a meeting of the Democratic Services committee on Monday, April 22 councillors received a report which said that tweaks were needed to the Powys County Council constitution.


  Other Trending Stories

    The council’s head of legal and democratic services, Clive Pinney explained that the changes are needed as subscribing to the DBS (Disclosure and Barring) service is a new requirement for licensed drivers to comply with guidance issued by the Welsh Government and the UK Department for Transport.

    An annual subscription to the UK Government’s DBS Update service costs £13.

    Mr Pinney explained that he considered the change to the Powys constitution to be a “minor amendment”.

    This means that it doesn’t need to go before all councillors at a council meeting to be ratified.

    If the drivers don’t follow the new six monthly DBS requirement the constitutional change would allow the “relevant” head of service to have the ability to sub-delegate responsibility to the relevant council officer to suspend the taxi/hackney cab licence.

    Liberal Democrat Cllr Claire Hall asked for confirmation that the driver would need to subscribe to the DBS update service which allows certificates to be checked online or “demonstrate” in another way that their DBS has is up to date.

    Mr Pinney confirmed she was correct and that this is a new requirement.

    Cllr Hall said: “I just thought that every six months was a bit onerous for paperwork but if it’s an either or situation I can’t see why they can’t do that.”

    Independents for Powys Cllr Gareth E Jones asked why the Welsh Government had brought in the guidance?

    Mr Pinney said: “It’s to safeguarding members of the public who use taxis.”

    He added that the other licensing requirements would continue on a three yearly basis.

    Earlier this month increases to two of three types of taxi licences came into force.

    The fees for 2024/2025 which don’t include the cost for DBS checks are:

    • Hackney carriage private hire (1 year): £150 going up from £146 this year.
    • Driver licence (3 years): £284 up from £270.50 this year.
    • Private Hire Operators (5 years): £355 down from £358 this year.
    You've viewed 1 stories so far!

    All About Newtown is an independent not-for-profit online news and information service for the town of Newtown in Mid Wales. We provide ad-free content, so rely on reader subscriptions and donations to run.

      Donate via PayPal

    Related or similar stories based on this one

    Image for the article Taxi fees to rise by 8%
    Taxi fees to rise by 8%

    5 months ago

    Image for the article Powys taxi drivers lose licences
    Powys taxi drivers lose licences

    1 year ago

    Image for the article Taxi fees to increase in Powys
    Taxi fees to increase in Powys

    1 year ago

    Business of the Week
    La Terrazza Bistro

    Park Street

    Follow us

    Connect with us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Google News

         

    Trending
    Donate to us

    We're a not-for-profit community interest company and have no corporate owners. We'd appreciate anything you can give to keep us providing free content.

      Donate via PayPal
    Upcoming Events
    Digital Friends’ Group

    08/05/25 10:30am

    Newtown 10k 2025

    25/05/25 08:40am

    Business Wales: Entrepreneurship and Start-Up Service

    27/05/25 11:00am

    Latest Stories
    Opinion: Powys patients deserve fairness

    1 week ago

    Textile Museum to open early this year

    1 week ago

    See what's on next week in our area (W17)

    2 weeks ago