Doubts cast over calls for cabbies to foot the bill for mandatory CCTV

'MORE DRIVERS COULD REGISTER OUTSIDE COUNTY'

- By OLIVER PRIDMORE

FORCING all Nottinghamshire taxis to have CCTV has been described as a move that could put too much "burden on drivers

Cameras would cost about £200 to install for each cab and there are fears it would exacerbate the issue of Nottinghamshire drivers registering with authorities outside the county.

In Nottingham alone, 700 drivers who are residents of the city are licensed with Wolverhampton. Most Nottinghamshire councils say that without closing this loophole, forcing CCTV on taxis may "impact local transport provision".

Nottinghamshire County Council's Reform UK leadership has called for mandatory CCTV in a letter to the city council and all seven district and borough authorities.

Their letter followed the publication of Baroness Casey's report into child sexual exploitation and grooming gangs, which again highlighted issues with taxi licensing.

Rotherham Council forced taxi drivers to install CCTV in cabs in 2016 in a bid to rebuild trust. Scandals there included an underage teenage girl being pressured to have sex with taxi drivers and two other drivers being arrested on suspicion of historic sexual offences against underage girls.

Reform UK's letter, signed by figures including cabinet member for children and families, Councillor Rory Green, said: "Currently, no local authority in Nottinghamshire requires CCTV in taxis - an absence of protective infrastructure that leaves children, young people, vulnerable adults, and taxi drivers themselves without critical safeguards.

"We believe that implementing CCTV across licensed vehicles is vital to ensuring the safety and security of all service users and drivers.