Taxis in South Nottinghamshire could soon have CCTV
Councillors backed a proposal to look at making cameras compulsory
CCTV cameras could be installed in all taxis in Rushcliffe after the area’s council backed a proposal calling for just that.
The idea to mandate CCTV was first raised by Nottinghamshire County councillor Rory Green, who sent a letter to the leaders of all Nottinghamshire district and borough councils in June asking them to consider a new policy.
However, by then, Rushcliffe Borough Council had already begun consulting the public on its 2025-2030 taxi licensing policy, and those responsible for the policy opted not to make any changes to it.
On October 27, members of the council’s licensing committee met and voted in favour of going against an officer’s suggestions that there was no evidence that CCTV would help, and that it would burden drivers with an unnecessary expense.
A motion for the full council to review the policy and consider making CCTV compulsory was then brought before all councillors at a full meeting of the council last night, Thursday, November 28.
Introducing it, Portfolio Holder for Cabinet and Safety Rob Inglis said:
“We want the best and safest environment in our taxi fleet for our residents and visitors, sooner rather than later.
"Safeguarding is paramount.”
Labour group leader Chris Grocock said:
"We absolutely support the adoption of CCTV. It’s a crucial requirement to have an effective and efficient licensing regime and policy for taxis in Rushcliffe.”
But some councillors opposed the motion. Lib Dem councillor Sara Dellar said:
“I don’t agree with voluntary or mandatory CCTV at all. The officers are clear that there are no problems that require it at the moment – one even said that in the eight or nine years he’s been involved in taxis, there’s only been one incident that CCTV might have been useful for.
“If we bring it in, it’s a cost to the department for managing the data, and it’s a cost to the drivers. The information could only be used by the police. But the police are not asking us for it and have not told us that there’s a problem.
“There’s no evidence that this would actually keep people any safer, and it also could intrude on other residents’ rights not to be videoed.”
Independent Councillor Ted Birch agreed, saying:
“I disagree with this motion entirely. I think it’s a massive infringement on civil liberties, and I’m very surprised that a Conservative administration is proposing this, as well as the Reform county council.
“It’s burdensome on businesses, and if we mandate this, we’re imposing a cost on them, which is obscene.
“It would be analogous in my view if you had a camera at every table in a restaurant, and I don’t see the difference with this. Of course, we all want everybody to be safe, but I don’t think having CCTV in taxis would make a massive difference.”
But, responding, Conservative deputy council leader Abby Brennan said:
"I strongly support the mandate of CCTV in taxis regardless of its flaws – the fact it may be inconsistent, or the fact that it isn’t necessarily going to stop the problem, but it might provide evidence after the fact. I don’t care about that.
“I do care about the safety of women and girls. And I get sick and tired of women’s safety being sacrificed on the altar of ‘there’s not enough evidence.’
"It makes me extremely angry that women’s and girls’ safety is subject to these kinds of compromises.
“I don’t buy the argument about privacy. I accept it, but I’m prepared to sacrifice it for safety. I wish we didn’t live in that world, but we do. The government needs to get its act together nationally.
“And if a few people get caught snogging their mistress in the back seat, then I’m afraid that’s something they’re just going to have to live with, frankly, because as far as I’m concerned, the safety of women and children is much more important.”
The overall aim of the 2025-2030 policy, as discussed during the licensing meeting on October 27, is to address the decline in taxi licenses in Rushcliffe and encourage new drivers, with the goal of restoring the numbers seen in previous years in the borough.
But the decision to originally not consider the CCTV left some councillors frustrated, including Reform’s Debbie Soloman, who said that “girls particularly actively avoid going in a taxi at night with a driver because the taxi does not have CCTV.”
One of the main concerns of officers about mandating the CCTV was the fact that taxi drivers do not need to obtain their licence from the council that oversees the area in which they plan to work.
That is why many taxis in the UK are seen to be licensed by Wolverhampton Council, as it is alleged that the process for obtaining a licence is easier with them than with other authorities.
Rushcliffe councillors considered that if they made CCTV mandatory in their licensing policy, potential Rushcliffe drivers could just obtain their licenses elsewhere and the numbers of Rushcliffe-licensed taxis would fall even further – the exact opposite of what the 2025-2030 licensing policy is trying to achieve.
So a recommendation was included in the motion to “send a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport requesting Government take action to mandate CCTV provision within Taxi and Private Hire vehicles nationally.”
This would mean that taxis licensed with any authority would need to have CCTV.
The government is already considering this action.
A majority of Councillors voted in favour of supporting the motion, and it was carried.