RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
East Lindsey
East Lindsey District Council · Sources checked 10 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Apply on the council's combined hackney-carriage/private-hire driver form. Applicants must be over 19, have held a full driving licence for at least two years, arrange an in-person identity and right-to-licence check at the Horncastle office, provide a DVLA check code, complete the required DBS, medical, assessments and training, and supply the form and fee. The council must complete all checks before authorising the applicant to drive.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
Before applying for a private-hire vehicle licence, book and pass the mechanical test at a council-approved garage unless the vehicle qualifies for the stated under-six-month waiver. Submit the council form and attend the visual inspection with the current test certificate, original V5C, private-hire insurance, taximeter certificate where fitted and no-smoking signage. Licensed vehicles are currently mechanically examined every six months.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
Private-hire work requires driver, vehicle and operator licences. Use the council's January 2026 operator application form and contact the Licensing Team at licensing@e-lindsey.gov.uk for the application process. Check whether planning consent is required for the proposed premises. The current fee schedule confirms that the operator licence runs for five years.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
The current council schedule lists a five-year private-hire operator licence at £374, a new combined driver licence at £196 and renewal at £165. From 25 May 2026, a hackney-carriage or private-hire vehicle licence including its identification plate is £170. VAT is not chargeable on these council fees; approved-garage vehicle testing is paid separately to the garage.
- Taxi tariff
- Official evidence found; detail still to confirm
The council's current fare card, last revised February 2025, sets Tariff 1 from 07:00 to 23:00 at £5 for the first 880 yards, then 20p for each succeeding 176 yards, with waiting at 20p per 45 seconds. Tariff 2 is 50% above Tariff 1 and Tariff 3 is 100% above it for the stated periods. The card gives the revision month but not an exact commencement day.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
New drivers need an enhanced DBS check with Update Service registration, DVLA check, Group 2 vocational medical, LRSP or Blue Lamp Trust driving-assessment pass, written communications and basic licensing tests, both mandatory Lincolnshire safeguarding e-learning certificates, and a right-to-work check. The council currently states that no separate wheelchair-passenger assessment is required.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- The current fare card states that fares were last revised in February 2025 but does not print the exact commencement day; tariff figures are publishable only with that caveat.
- The current fee page states the 25 May 2026 commencement date specifically for the new vehicle prices; it does not state equivalent commencement dates for the listed driver and operator fees.