RESEARCHED AUTHORITY
North Northamptonshire
North Northamptonshire Council · Sources checked 10 September 2026
- Driver licensing
- Official route/source found
Applicants may apply for a hackney-carriage, private-hire or dual driver licence covering North Northamptonshire. The council publishes applications and fees on a three-year basis, allowing a shorter term only in specified circumstances without reducing the fee. Applicants must complete the required training, tests and checks before submitting the application and must satisfy the council's fit-and-proper-person assessment.
- Vehicle licensing
- Official route/source found
A vehicle carrying up to eight passengers needs a hackney-carriage or private-hire vehicle licence. Before applying it must pass the required MOT and council vehicle test at an approved garage, subject to the council's age-based testing rules. The application requires the V5C, hire-and-reward insurance, lease documents where applicable, test evidence and a recent Basic DBS check for a proprietor who is not already a licensed driver. Renewals should be submitted at least six weeks before expiry.
- Operator licensing
- Official route/source found
A private-hire operator licence lasts five years and is required for taking bookings. The applicant must disclose licensing and conviction history and provide the specified identity, right-to-work and Basic DBS evidence. Commercial premises require planning evidence; rented premises require the owner's consent. The council also requires £5 million public-liability cover and, where there are employees, employers' liability cover. Renewal should be made at least six weeks before expiry.
- Licensing fees
- Official route/source found
The council states that its taxi-licensing fees apply from 26 January 2026 to 31 March 2027. A three-year driver licence is £262, an annual hackney-carriage vehicle licence is £262 and an annual private-hire vehicle licence is £239. A five-year private-hire operator licence is £328, and an enforcement-officer vehicle re-inspection is £50. Approved garages charge separately for MOT and council vehicle testing.
- Taxi tariff
- Official route/source found
No numeric hackney-carriage tariff is released from this record. The current 2025-2028 policy requires a meter not to exceed the tariff published for the applicable North Northamptonshire zone and requires the tariff to be displayed, but the current taxi hub and policy page do not provide a consolidated numeric fare card with an operative date. Legacy former-district fare tables are not treated as current without council confirmation.
- Mandatory qualifications
- Official route/source found
All driver applicants must complete council-approved knowledge, safeguarding, equality and diversity training and an approved advanced-driving assessment. Hackney-carriage and dual applicants also take the second knowledge-test element and the wheelchair assessment. Applicants must meet DVLA Group 2 medical standards, obtain the council's Enhanced DBS check with barred-list searches, join the DBS Update Service for six-monthly checks, and satisfy DVLA and right-to-work requirements.
Withheld or still needing confirmation
- A current consolidated numeric hackney-carriage fare card and operative date were not located on the council's current taxi hub or policy page. The policy's zonal reference is not enough to establish any legacy former-district table as current, so tariff figures are withheld.
- The council licence-fee page excludes the independently charged MOT and approved-garage council-test prices, so those provider charges are not inferred.
- The council-approved driver-training page gives a £100 course price, but provider charges for the advanced-driving assessment, medical examination and DBS processing are not consolidated in the council licence-fee schedule and are not presented as council licence fees.