RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Charnwood
Charnwood Borough Council · Sources checked 11 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Charnwood issues one combined driver licence covering its Hackney Carriage and private-hire vehicles. A new applicant must be at least 18, have held an accepted full licence for at least 12 months and demonstrate the right to work. First book and pass the council knowledge test; after passing, complete the safeguarding, practical-driving, medical, Enhanced DBS/DVLA and Update Service steps, then submit the complete application and current supporting evidence together.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
For either vehicle type, first obtain an annual Certificate of Compliance from an approved garage; an interim compliance test is also required every six months. Then email the completed form with V5, hire-and-reward insurance and the compliance certificate, plus meter calibration evidence for a metered vehicle and operator authorisation where a private-hire proprietor does not hold their own Charnwood operator licence. Renewal applications and fees must arrive at least ten working days before expiry.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
A Charnwood private-hire operator licence lasts five years and normally requires an operating base within the borough. Email the complete form with right-to-licence evidence, references, any required planning approval, Basic DBS and statutory declaration for applicants who are not Charnwood-licensed drivers, and overseas good-conduct evidence where applicable. After the fee and all supporting information arrive, the council aims to process a complete application within ten days.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
The council identifies these as its full current charges from 1 April 2025, with the page last updated 11 December 2025. A three-year combined driver licence is £285 new or £259 renewal and the knowledge test is £73. A one-year vehicle grant is £280 with brackets or £249 without; renewal is £219. Five-year operator charges are £810 for one to three vehicles, £940 for four to nine and £1,090 for ten or more. DBS, DVLA, safeguarding, practical-test and medical charges are paid separately to their providers.
- Taxi tariff
- Official route/source found
The council's currently linked Hackney Carriage fare cards state that fares apply from 17 August 2022. For up to four passengers, Tariff 1 is £3.25 for the first 440 yards, then 25p per 220 yards and 25p per 45 seconds waiting. Tariff 2 is £3.75 then 35p, and the Christmas/New Year Tariff 5 is £5 then 45p. A separate card sets Tariffs 3, 4 and 6 when carrying at least five passengers. Private-hire operators may set their own fares, so these are not private-hire tariffs.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
New combined-driver applicants must pass Charnwood's written and verbal knowledge test, approved safeguarding course and practical taxi-driving test, meet the DVLA Group 2 medical standard, complete Enhanced DBS and DVLA checks through the council's provider, and register for the DBS Update Service. They must also prove right to work and provide any applicable overseas certificate of good conduct. Time-limited certificates should be coordinated before the complete application is submitted.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- The current fee page is explicitly headed from 1 April 2025 and remained labelled full and up to date when checked on 11 September 2026; no later fee schedule was found on the official council routes.
- The 2022 fare cards remain the cards linked from the live Hackney Carriage application route; no later enacted tariff is inferred.
- The Hackney Carriage fare cards do not regulate private-hire prices, which operators may set themselves.
- External DBS, DVLA, medical, safeguarding and practical-driving charges are not treated as council licence fees.