Taxi drivers in Shropshire could be permitted to display a Union Flag on their vehicles, under plans set to be discussed by the local authority next week.
The changes would reverse Shropshire Council’s position on flags introduced in April 2023, which banned the display of all flags in any advertising or branding displayed on hackney carriages and private hire vehicles in the county.
At a meeting of Shropshire Council’s licensing committee on Thursday, January 11, officers will be asked to debate a proposal to “amend the advertising sections of the current Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy 2023 – 2027 to permit the national flag of the United Kingdom to be displayed on hackney carriages and private hire vehicles and to be used in the promotion of any private hire operator business or any other business offering a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle service.”
Should the recommendations be approved, taxi drivers would be able to display one Union Flag which is “subject to positioning and dimension specifications for the purposes of ensuring public safety.”
The changes have been recommended for approval by licensing officers.
The authority came under fire following the introduction of last year’s ban, after a high profile enforcement decision in October 2023 which led to one taxi driver from Market Drayton being forced to remove a large St George’s cross emblem from his vehicle.
A background report set to be brought before the committee next week noted that while Shropshire Council had received complaints about the decision, the majority of complainants had “no connection with Shropshire or the hackney carriage/private hire trade”, and that a solitary contact that from a Shropshire licensed driver indicated support for the flag ban.
The move would also mean Shropshire’s taxi licensing conditions were out of step with neighbouring authorities in both Telford & Wrekin and Wolverhampton, who currently ban the use of flags – which could lead to an influx of applications from taxi drivers in those areas who want to display the Union Flag on their vehicles, the report added.
The changes will be discussed by Shropshire Council’s Strategic Licensing Committee on January 11.
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