Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982: Taxi Fare Scale Review
Argyll and Bute Council · 22 April 2026
Back to Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee — 22 April 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL PLANNING, PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND LICENSING COMMITTEE LEGAL AND REGULATORY SUPPORT 22 APRIL 2026 CIVIC GOVERNMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 1982 TAXI FARE SCALE REVIEW 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In terms of Section 17 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, the Local Authority requires to fix maximum fares and other charges in connection with the hire of taxis operating in their area and to review the scales for taxi fares and other charges on a regular basis. The fares were last reviewed by members on 18th December 2024 and took effect on 22nd April 2025. A letter will be issued to all taxi operators on week commencing 27th April 2026 inviting their comments by 1st June 2026. A further report will be placed before the Committee at their meeting on 17th June 2026 detailing the comments received from the taxi operators. 2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS The Committee are asked to: a) Agree to commence the review of fares in order that this can be completed within the 18 months required in terms of the Act. b) Agree that the consultation required in terms of the Act will be in writing.
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL PLANNING, PROTECTIVE SERVICES AND LICENSING COMMITTEE LEGAL AND REGULATORY SUPPORT 22 April 2026 CIVIC GOVERNMENT (SCOTLAND) ACT 1982 TAXI FARE SCALE REVIEW 1. 1.1 1.2 2. 2.1 3. 3.1 SUMMARY In terms of Section 17 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, the Local Authority requires to fix maximum fares and other charges in connection with the hire of taxis operating in their area and to review the scales for taxi fares and other charges on a regular basis. The fares were last reviewed by members on 18th December 2024 and took effect on 22nd April 2025. A letter will be issued to all taxi operators week commencing on 27th April 2026 inviting their comments by 1st June 2026. A further report will be placed before the Committee at their meeting on 17th June 2026 detailing the comments received from the trade. RECOMMENDATIONS The Committee are asked to a) Agree to commence the review of fares in order that this can be completed within the 18 months required in terms of the Act. b) Agree that the consultation required in terms of the Act will be in writing. DETAIL Section 17 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 states that “the licensing authority must fix scales for the fares and other charges within 18 months beginning with the date on which the scales came into effect”. In terms of the last review the fares came into force on 22nd April
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3.2 3.3 3.4 2025. The next fares scale will need to come into force in October 2026. Therefore the review process would require to commence in April 2026. At the meeting on 18th December 2024 the committee agreed that there be a 10% increase to existing scales and that this will take effect from 22nd April 2025; In terms of Section 17 of the Act in carrying out a review of taxi fares, the licensing authority must – a) Consult with persons or organisations appearing to it to be, or to be representative of, the operators of taxis operating within its area. b) Following the consultation – (i) Review the existing scales (ii) Propose new scales (whether at altered rates or the same rates. The Act does not stipulate how the consultation should be effected. 4. 4.1 A) B) 5. CONCLUSION Members are invited to agree that; The next taxi fare review should commence in order that it can be completed within 18 months as required by the 1982 Act. and Agree that the consultation required in terms of the Act will be in writing. IMPLICATIONS 5.1 Policy- None 5.2 Financial - None 5.3 Legal – The Council require to review taxi fares in terms of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 5.4 HR - None 5.5 Customer Service – None
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5.6 Risk – None 5.7 Climate Change - None 5.8 Fairer Scotland Duty - None 5.9 Equalities - Protected Characteristics - None 5.10 Consumer Duty - None 5.11 Island Communities - None 5.12 Children’s Rights and Wellbeing - None Douglas Hendry Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support Policy Lead: Cllr Gordon Blair For further information contact: David Walker, Solicitor Tel: 01436 658720 Email : david.walker@argyll-bute.gov.uk