To drive a taxi or minicab licensed by Cannock Chase District Council you need a dual hackney carriage and private hire driver's licence from the council's Licensing Unit. The council's June 2024 policy sets out the route: be at least 18 with a full UK driving licence and the right to work in the UK, pass an enhanced DBS check, hold a DVLA Group 2 medical certificate, pass the council's knowledge test and driving standards assessment, and show you are a fit and proper person. The licence is normally issued for three years. This page summarises the policy for orientation; the council's current documents are the final word.
What the council asks for
A valid application, according to the policy, has to include all of the items below. Fees are payable, and the council sets them separately, so check its current schedule rather than relying on a figure from a third party.
| Requirement | What it involves |
|---|---|
| Age and driving licence | At least 18 and the holder of a full UK driving licence, shown as a photocard or by sharing licence details with the council |
| Right to work | Proof of the right to work in the UK; the licence will not run longer than the permitted period of work |
| Criminal record check | A completed enhanced DBS disclosure, plus subscription to the DBS Update Service for the life of the licence |
| Overseas history | A certificate of good conduct if you have lived or worked abroad and cannot show five years in the UK |
| Medical | A DVLA Group 2 medical certificate |
| Drug test | A simple drug test as part of the application |
| Knowledge test | A multiple-choice test, taken after a training session, at the Civic Centre in Cannock |
| Driving standards | Completion of the driving standards assessment |
| Photographs and form | A signed application with two passport-standard colour photographs and any declarations required |
The knowledge test and training
Applicants attend a training session run by licensing officers immediately before the test. The syllabus covers taxi and private hire law, the council's licensing policy, the geography of the Cannock Chase district, and the Highway Code. It also takes in disability and equality awareness, safeguarding, child sexual exploitation, county lines exploitation and the prevention of terrorism, along with health and safety, customer care and handling conflict.
The policy sets a limit on retakes. An applicant who fails four knowledge tests has the application rejected and must wait at least twelve months before applying again. The same documents note that licensed drivers can be required to complete further training later, and that failing to do so can lead to suspension, revocation or refusal to renew.
Criminal records and "fit and proper"
Convictions, cautions and fixed penalties must be declared on the form, apart from protected convictions and cautions that have been filtered. Taxi and private hire driving is an excepted occupation under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, so applicants must declare spent convictions as well as unspent ones, and the council can take relevant ones into account. Simple and conditional cautions are treated like convictions. The council looks at the nature and seriousness of the offence, when it happened and the applicant's age at the time, and it takes a particularly cautious view of offences involving violence, sexual offences, children and vulnerable people.
There is no legal definition of "fit and proper". The policy frames the test as a question: would you allow a person you care about to travel alone in a vehicle driven by this applicant at any time of day or night? If the answer on the balance of probabilities is no, the applicant should not be given the benefit of the doubt. Since April 2023, councils in England must record on a national register (NR3S) any refusal, suspension or revocation of a driver's licence made on safeguarding or road-safety grounds, and must check it before granting or renewing a driver's licence.
Medical checks over time
The Group 2 medical is not a one-off. The policy sets the maximum gap between assessments at five years up to age 45, three years between 45 and 60, and annually after that, although the council's medical adviser can ask for them more often. A driver can also be asked to attend a medical at their own expense where the council has reasonable cause.
After the licence is granted
- Licences are normally issued for three years, and renewing in good time is the driver's job; a late application is not prioritised.
- Any arrest, charge, conviction, caution, fixed penalty or motoring endorsement must be reported to the council within 48 hours.
- A change of address must be reported within seven days, and the updated photocard shown within 28 days.
- Nine or more live penalty points on the driving licence can trigger a driving assessment; twelve or more can lead to a committee review of fitness.
- Driver conditions cover everything from receipts to smoking; they are summarised in what a licensed taxi driver must and must not do.
Timeline and practical points
The council expects applicants to complete the process within about three months of the first submission, so it pays to gather documents before starting. Plan for the DBS and medical in advance, because both depend on third parties. An applicant also needs a vehicle if they plan to run their own; the age and testing rules for those are explained in taxi and private hire vehicle rules. Drivers who intend to work for a fleet operator may find the operator supplies the vehicle, but the individual licence is still the driver's own.
For the national picture, the Department for Transport's Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards set the baseline that licensing authorities must have regard to, including enhanced DBS checks, the standard three-year term for driver licences and an English language assessment covering both speaking and writing. The Cannock Chase documents themselves sit on the council's taxi policy page.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a Cannock Chase taxi driver licence last?
The council's policy says it will normally issue three-year dual licences, valid for both hackney carriage and private hire work, though a shorter licence can be issued on request or at the council's discretion.
Do I need a medical to become a taxi driver?
Yes. The policy requires a DVLA Group 2 medical certificate with the application and repeat assessments at set intervals depending on age.
What happens if I fail the knowledge test?
You can retake it. After four failures the application is rejected and you must wait at least twelve months before a fresh application.
Can I drive a taxi if I have convictions?
It depends on the nature, seriousness and age of the offence. Spent convictions must be declared as well as unspent ones, apart from protected convictions that are filtered, and the council decides each case on its merits while taking a cautious view of offences involving violence, sexual offences or vulnerable people.
Can I use a driver's licence issued by another council?
Not for vehicles licensed here. The council's policy says drivers of its hackney carriages and private hire vehicles must hold a licence it has issued, and that driver, vehicle and operator licences must all come from the same authority.