Concerns 'legal loophole' in taxi trade putting young people in Rotherham at risk
Ministers should act without delay to prevent a "damaging'' legal loophole from putting young and vulnerable people in Rotherham at risk, according to MPs.
The Communities and Local Government Committee says it's concerned taxis licensed by other local authorities may still operate in the town - even if the drivers have their application for a Rotherham licence rejected.
They added action is needed to end this situation to ensure efforts to rebuild trust and confidence in the trade are supported rather than undermined.
The MPs call for Government departments to prepare guidance in law over taxi licensing - already pledged by ministers - without delay'', adding legislation should be considered if this fails to deliver the high standards needed across the country.
Taxi drivers have had a prominent role'' in child sexual exploitation across England, including in Rotherham, according to the 2014 Jay report which examined abuse in the town during a 16-year period.
The committee of MPs noted the concerns raised relate to a very small minority'' of drivers in Rotherham but they had undermined public confidence.
They also said: We believe that local authorities must be able to apply particular measures in relation to taxi licensing in their areas, such as requiring taxis to have CCTV installed, without those measures being undermined by taxis coming in from other areas.
We recommend that, in order to ensure that lessons are learned from experiences in Rotherham, DCLG works with the Home Office and the Department for Transport on the preparation of statutory guidance under the Policing and Crime Bill in relation to taxi licensing.
That guidance should be brought forward without delay. Once the guidance has been introduced, the Government should monitor the extent to which it ensures consistently high standards in taxi licensing across the country, and also enables local authorities to put in place and enforce specific measures which are appropriate for their local circumstances."
The committee made the recommendation following an inquiry into the Government's use of commissioners in Rotherham and the London borough of Tower Hamlets.
The committee's other conclusions included the need for local authorities to learn from the experiences of Rotherham and Tower Hamlets about the need to encourage and support'' whistleblowers and to take their concernsseriously''.
Sheffield South East MP Clive Betts, who chairs the Communities and Local Government Committee, said: The Department for Communities and Local Government must carefully examine what worked and what could have been done better with these interventions so that the process can be improved for possible future cases.
It is also vital that the failings in Rotherham and Tower Hamlets and the work done to address them are identified and shared so that similar issues can be addressed in other local authorities at an early stage to avoid them hitting rock bottom and having Commissioners imposed upon them."
A Government spokesman said: Lessons have been learned from our interventions in Rotherham and Tower Hamlets, including making sure whistleblowers are taken seriously and supported and that interventions are quick and effective.
Today's select committee report shows the progress of the interventions to date, but we all recognise that there is more to do.
We will continue to work with the Local Government Association and commissioners to monitor and mitigate against any possible failings, so they cannot be repeated elsewhere.
New rules are being implemented in Rotherham to ensure firms must only employ taxi drivers registered with the council.''