RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
Harborough
Harborough District Council · Sources checked 10 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Apply for either a dual driver licence or a private-hire-only driver licence using the council form. Submit the completed application, Right to Licence declaration, original supporting documents and full fee at a booked appointment; the council no longer accepts drop-ins. Driver licences last three years, subject to the council completing its fit-and-proper-person checks and required tests.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
New vehicle applications must be made in person by appointment with original documents; renewals can be sent to the Licensing Team. Supply the V5C or bill of sale, taxi insurance, proof of the initial enhanced mechanical inspection and the full council fee. Tests are stricter than a standard MOT and must be obtained from a garage on the council's current list. Allow five working days for a complete application; the licence lasts one year.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
An applicant must live in Harborough District or have an office or base there. Submit the operator application and Right to Licence declaration, attend a booked identity appointment, provide right-to-work evidence and the HMRC tax-check code requested by the form. An operator licence lasts five years. Mandatory safeguarding training must be completed within three months after the licence is issued.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
For 2026/27 the council lists a new three-year driver licence at £485, or £428 where DBS is supplied by a third party; renewal is £367 or £310 respectively. A new one-year vehicle licence including the plate deposit is £306 and renewal is £274. A new five-year operator licence is £841 and renewal is £799. The knowledge-test resit charge is £29 per paper; vehicle-test cost is paid separately.
- Taxi tariff
- Official route/source found
The council's official download area still provides a document labelled Taxi Tariff 2022, and its current vehicle guidance confirms that hackney-carriage meters use council-agreed fares. However, the official pages checked do not establish that the 2022 document remains the operative table or give an exact enactment date. Numeric tariff figures are therefore withheld pending direct current confirmation.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
Driver applicants undergo an enhanced DBS check, a DVLA check confirming at least three years with a full licence, a DVLA Group 2 D4 medical, local-authority and HMRC tax checks, a right-to-work check and the council's three-paper knowledge test. Drivers and operators must also complete the mandatory Blue Lamp Trust safeguarding course within three months after licensing; failure may lead to suspension.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- The official Taxi Tariff 2022 document remains downloadable, but the current official pages do not confirm that it is still operative or state an exact enactment date; numeric tariff figures are withheld.
- The 2026/27 fee table is clearly year-labelled but does not print a separate taxi-fee commencement day; no exact date is inferred.