East Cambridgeshire's taxi drivers will not have to install CCTV

Officers said the district's licensed taxi drivers were “very professional and very compliant”

Taxi drivers will not be made to install CCTV in their cars, an authority has said.

East Cambridgeshire District Council consulted taxi drivers and the public over the mandatory proposal.

There was an "overwhelming response" from the drivers that they currently felt safe at work, while the majority of users felt safe using taxis, the council heard.

Its licensing committee unanimously voted against CCTV's introduction.

The consultation received 35 responses from taxi drivers, only 20% of whom supported mandatory CCTV, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The majority of the 10 members of public who took part felt safe using taxis, but four did say they might use them more often if CCTV was introduced.

• Tougher taxi licensing rules come into force

• City relaxes emissions policy for taxis

• CCTV cameras to be fitted in all county's taxis

The Licensed Private Hire Car Association raised its concerns as part of the consultation, saying it was not anti CCTV, but was against the "blanket mandating" of its use.

Officers told the meeting the district's licensed taxi drivers were "very professional and very compliant" and added there was a "lack of evidence of an overwhelming underlying issue".

Liberal Democrat councillor Mark Inskip said he was a little disappointed at the number of people who took part in the consultation, but said he supported the officers.

Conservative councillor Christine Ambrose Smith saw merits in the introduction of CCTV but believed it would create a "considerable cost" for drivers.

The committee did update its taxi driver policy to say that taxi drivers who chose to install CCTV should be required to provide footage to the district council or police if lawfully requested.