Taxi drivers in Bury have protested rises in licence fees which they say makes it ‘increasingly hard’ for them to operate.

Taxi trade leaders say fees charged in borough are higher than those in Wolverhampton, where many drivers register and then work in Bury.

Earlier this year figures showed there were 21,853 private hire drivers licensed with the City of Wolverhampton Council.

Of those, 4,049, were drivers who were registered at the time of their application as being in Greater Manchester. In February, Bury Council approved increases in fees and charges for 2023/2024.

The new charging regime should have come into operation on the May 4 but have been delayed due to opposition from drivers and private hire operators.

The change would see a yearly licence for taxi over three years old rise from £294 to £320 while operators with more than three vehicles would see their yearly licence charge rise from £410 to £450.

There are currently 752 private hire vehicles, 33 hackney carriage vehicles and 28 private hire operators licensed in Bury. Bury Council said the total cost of the taxi licensing service for the financial year 2022/23 was £372,000 and the total income received by the service was £327,000.

This resulted in an under recovery of costs to the value of £45,000.

They said the licensing service was working with the council’s finance department to develop a full cost recovery model and as the costs for the service will increase in 2023/24 due to inflation, fees and charges needed to be increased.

The borough’s private hire drivers association said that Bury’s fees were higher than other licensing authorities such as Wolverhampton and has urged the council to reconsider.

Their objection, said: “We understand that the cost of licensing is essential for the provision of regulatory resources and necessary services. “The charges are making it difficult for our members and partners to continue operating the business.

“We have conducted a thorough analysis of the fees charged by Bury and discovered that our members and taxi trade partners are being charged significantly higher fees in comparison to Wolverhampton.

“This is causing financial strains on our members and partners while Wolverhampton license holders working in Greater Manchester take full

advantage of low cost licensing structure.

“Secondly, we believe that a fair and reasonable charging structure is necessary for ensuring public safety while also enabling our members and

partners to carry out their operations effectively. “Therefore, we propose that the current fee structure is reviewed to ensure that it aligns with Wolverhampton fees.

“We hope that the Bury licensing regulatory authority takes our proposal into consideration and takes appropriate measures to alleviate the financial strain experienced by our members and partners.” A Bury Council licensing panel will meet to discuss the taxi licensing fees on Thursday, July 20.

If the proposed fees and charges are approved at the meeting, the total additional income that will be achieved from vehicle and private hire operator fees in 2023/24 is estimated to be £13,180.