UPDATE: Eastbourne Taxi Drivers May Have To Install CCTV Cameras

Eastbourne taxi drivers could soon be required to install cameras in their vehicles, if proposals gain the go ahead from councillors next week. 

On Monday (January 16), Eastbourne Borough Council’s licensing committee is set to decide whether Hackney Carriage and private hire drivers should be required to fit two-camera CCTV systems as part of the terms of their licences.

If approved, current taxi drivers would have until May 1 to ensure their vehicles have a compliant system, something officers expect to cost between £445 to £620 per vehicle.

Officers say the proposal is be intended to improve the standard of safety for both drivers and passengers. 

In a report to be considered by the committee, a council spokesman said:

“There is no doubt a vulnerability relating to Taxis and Private Hire Vehicles (PHV). Members of the public entering a Taxi/PHV put themselves under the control of a stranger in a confined space with no physical control over where they are taken.

“Furthermore, drivers also trust members of the public in their vehicles, often transporting passengers during unsocial hours, and on poorly lit routes. 

“CCTV systems can act as an additional safeguard, providing protection, confidence, and reassurance to the public when they are travelling in a taxi or PHV, as well as to drivers who can also be victims of violence, and abuse.

“CCTV systems can act as a deterrent to those with intentions of committing an offence and where an offence has been committed recordings can capture evidence which may be in both a criminal and enforcement.”

During the same meeting, the committee is also set to decide whether to introduce new incentives for drivers to use low emission vehicles. 

The incentive would be an extended lifespan for low emission vehicles, in other words the council would allow drivers to keep low-emission vehicles on the road for a longer period of time. 

Currently, taxis cannot (apart from in exceptional circumstances) be more than 10 years old. The incentive would extend this lifespan to 15 years. 

UPDATE (JAN 30)

Wealden District Council will not pursue plans to make CCTV mandatory for taxis for the time being.

On Monday (January 30), Wealden District Council’s licensing committee decided not to move ahead with plans to make CCTV cameras a mandatory requirement for taxi drivers at the current time, but to revisit the question next year.

The proposal followed on from changes in national guidelines intended to improve protections for vulnerable passengers, particularly children.

However, committee members had reservations about the need and desire for such a measure in Wealden.

Councillors also had concerns about the impact of such a change on the council’s resources. This was because the council, if it were to make CCTV a mandatory requirement for taxi drivers, would have to become a data controller for the footage. This would have legal and IT implications, officers said.

The council had also consulted on the plans last year. While a relatively small sample, it found 48 per cent of those surveyed (including both residents and taxi drivers) did not support making cameras compulsory. A smaller proportion (44 per cent) supported the move while seven per cent were undecided. 

In light of their concerns, councillors were minded to hold off on introducing such a requirement until further investigation could take place. 

As part of this, officers were asked to liaise with neighbouring councils in Eastbourne and Lewes, which are due to introduce mandatory CCTV for their taxi drivers next October, in order to seek more information about the changes.

In the meantime, taxis in Wealden are still able to opt-in to fitting CCTV cameras when wanted. 

During the same meeting, councillors also agreed to both update the council’s guidance for taxi drivers (which focussed on increased safeguarding responsibilities) and an increase in the fees for renewing and securing a taxi licence.