TAXI drivers and passengers who hail cabs in the Selby area are being given the chance to have their say on whether laws surrounding the vehicles need toughening up.

Selby District Council’s licensing committee will meet next week to discuss how it will respond to a national consultation on whether legislation affecting the hackney-carriage and private-hire sector should be brought up to date and make life tougher for rogue drivers.

The Institute of Licensing is asking for views from across the UK on how the rules should be changed, with the aim of improving the public’s protection and safety and drive out inconsistencies which make the current laws difficult to enforce.

The consultation – the first of its kind to include the public, as well as taxi organisations and licensing bodies – will run until the end of March and asks questions on subjects such as why people use taxis, whether properly licensed vehicles are easy to spot and the criteria under which drivers should have to operate, including the level of criminal record checks felt necessary for those seeking a permit.

In a report which will go before next Monday’s meeting, the council’s licensing officer, Tim Grogan said: “As a consequence of its involvement in hackney carriage and private-hire vehicle licensing, the organisation [the Institute of Licensing] considers that, owing to archaic laws that regulate their activity, there are wide differences in standards across England and Wales.

“This has resulted in the emergence of loopholes which provide opportunities for the unscrupulous and pitfalls for the unwary. These can potentially place passengers, drivers and the general public at risk.

“In particular, much of the existing laws date back to 1847. This has contributed to a lack of understanding, making it easier for rogue operators to risk customer safety."

The meeting will see the council decide its response to the survey – which also assesses how well the existing laws are understood and how they should be updated – and examine any taxi issues which it feels need to be addressed in the Selby area.

Members of the public are still being invited to share their views by completing the consultation document, which can be found at instituteoflicensing.org/taxireform.html