Harrogate drivers' plea to increase taxi fares by 5% gets backing

If the rise is approved, it would make Harrogate the 14th most expensive council area in the UK

Taxi fares could rise in Harrogate after councillors backed drivers' calls for an increase to help cover fuel costs and a drop in earnings.

The 5% rise proposal comes after some drivers said they'd been badly hit by increasing costs.

If approved, Harrogate would become the 14th most expensive council area for fares in the UK, a council report said.

The authority has a statutory duty to set hackney carriage fares with the last rise being implemented in 2020.

Councillor John Mann told the licensing committee meeting that he appreciated prices may be higher than some areas but taxi drivers needed support.

"We seem to be in the middle of a cost of living crisis at the moment and we are all aware prices are going up rapidly.

"If you are a taxi driver all of this is not good because it eats into your profit."

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The 5% rise would be on the running mile and waiting times of journeys, the Local Democracy Report Service said.

There would also be an increase in starting prices from £3.40 to £3.60 if approved.

The request comes after warnings that as many as 50 taxi drivers in the Harrogate district quit during pandemic lockdowns with many now in other jobs and not wanting to return.

Last year also saw record costs for both petrol and diesel in the UK, with diesel hitting prices of over £1.50 per litre for the first time in history.

Gareth Bentley, the council's licensing manager, said the needs of the travelling public had to be "balanced with the trade's ability to make a reasonable living".

The cabinet member for housing and safer communities will make a final decision on the proposal.

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