The Council shall not renew a licence unless they are satisfied that the applicant is a fit and proper person.

That person must remain fit and proper for the duration of the licence. The fitness and propriety of the driver will be monitored and assessed throughout the period that the licence is held.  

A correct and fully complete application form, supporting documents and appropriate fees must be submitted at least 10 working days before the expiry of your current combined badge/licence.

Failure to do so may result in your current badge expiring, being unable to work and reapplying as a new driver.

As an existing licence holder you will receive a renewal reminder approximately two months before your licence expires. Please ensure you keep your address and other contact details up to date with the Licensing Section.

Your new licence and badge will not be issued on the day of submitting your renewal application. Please allow up to 10 working days for your renewal application to be processed. It is your responsibility to apply in plenty of time to renew your licence.

Any questions or concerns about the application process, please email licensing@charnwood.gov.uk or telephone us (via the contact centre) 01509 634562.

Not Renewing? - Notice to Surrender Licence (s)

If you do not wish to renew your combined drivers licence, please complete a driver surrender form and return it to the Council Offices along with your both of your badges and driver licence document. These can all be posted or dropped off in the Council’s letter box. If you return your form by email, please note on the form that the badges/licence document will follow either in the post or be dropped off.

Application

At this time you are not required to submit your application, in person.

Your Combined Driver’s Licence application form MUST be posted to the Council with all accompanying documents at the same time. Please do not email these documents - the Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) Certificate needs to be the original. You can post or drop the documents (by hand) enveloped and addressed to Licensing in the Council’s letter box or reception desk.

Right to Licence

Applicants must demonstrate that they have the right to work in the UK and are not subject to a condition preventing them from doing work relating to the carrying on work as a licensed driver. 

If you have been asked to provide Right to Licence (in your renewal letter) then please provide proof of your identity to support your Right to Licence, as per this list.

The Home Office, changed the list of acceptable documents to remove the requirement of EEA passports, national identity cards and specified EEA Regulations documents, which only confirmed the individual’s nationality or that they were exercising EEA Treaty Rights. 

The Home Office have provided a list of acceptable documents to allow a manual Right to Licence check. Those that previously provided original documents that have since been removed from this list will be required to repeat the Right to Licence check. 

An applicant can do this in one of two ways:

  1. By providing their ‘share code’ to enable the Licensing Authority to carry out a check using the Home Office online right to work checking service (see details below); or
  2. By providing a document or document combination that is stipulated as being suitable for this check. The list of documents is set out at on the Home Office right to licence documents list webpage.

You must provide the original document(s) so that the check can take place. The document(s) will be copied and the copy retained by the Licensing Authority. The original document will be returned to you.

Home Office online right to work checking service

As an alternative to providing original documents, applicants may demonstrate their right to work by allowing the Licensing Authority to carry out a check with the Home Office online right to work checking service.

To demonstrate their right to work via the Home Office online right to work checking service, applicants should include in their application their 9-digit share code (provided to them upon accessing the service at https://www.gov.uk/prove-right-to-work) which, along with the applicant’s date of birth (provided within their application), will allow the Licensing Authority to carry out the check.

Please note the Right to Licence share code is only valid for 30 days.

An online check will not be possible in all circumstances because not all applicants will have an immigration status that can be shared digitally. The Home Office online right to work checking service sets out what information and/or documentation applicants will need in order to access the service. Applicants who are unable to obtain a share code from the service should submit original documents as set out above.

If there are restrictions on the length of time you may work in the UK, your licence will not be issued for any longer than this period. In such circumstances the check will be repeated each time you apply to renew or extend your licence. If, during this period, you are disqualified from holding a licence because you have not complied with the UK’s immigration laws, your licence will lapse and you must return it to the licensing authority. Failure to do so is a criminal offence.’

HMRC –Tax Share Code

What you’ll need

To carry out a tax check, you need a Government Gateway user ID and password. If you do not have a user ID, you can create one when you start the check.

You’ll also need to know:

  • when you first got your licence
  • the length of your most recent licence
  • how you pay tax on the income you earn from your licensed trade

You will not be able to complete the tax check if the information you give about your tax affairs does not match HMRC’s records.

How to complete a tax check

You can obtain a HMRC check code by clicking on the following link on the Council’s licensing webpage.

Once you have completed the required fields it will provide you with an online code.

This code is only valid for 120 days.

Once you have entered the code on your application form, please ensure you sign the HMRC consent underneath this section to allow the Licensing section to check your HMRC record.

Your application form MUST be ready for submission before you obtain your HMRC share code.

If the service is unavailable

You should tell the licensing authority at once. They will ask you to try to access the service for 5 days in a row.

The 5 days start the first time you try accessing the service after the licensing authority asked you to. If you are still unable to access the service and complete a tax check in those 5 days, you:

  • do not need to carry out a tax check
  • should tell the licensing authority you have been unable to complete one

The licensing authority will check that the service was unavailable before deciding whether to grant or refuse your licence application.

Step 1 - Medical

Medical

You have options as to who can complete your Group 2 Medical Standards form. You can either;

Make an appointment with your own GP and get them to complete your Charnwood Council Group 2 Medical standards form:

or

You can make a subject access request to your own GP surgery for your medical summary to be released to you. (This can take up to 28 days). All Doctors are registered either to the General Practitioner register (GP) or they are GMC Registered (General Medical Council) Medical Practitioners. Once you have obtained your medical summary you can approach another GP or a Doctor registered under (General Medical Council) Medical Practitioners to complete your Group 2 medical standards form. 

The GP or Doctor MUST see your medical summary and MUST sign to say they have. You must complete details of your own GP on the form (as to where the medical summary has been obtained from) and then details of the name and address of the Doctor who has completed your medical Group 2 form. Once you have obtained your medical summary from your GP surgery, you must have your Group 2 medical form completed within one month from the date of the medical summary being issued. 

Please note you are required to sign the declaration and consent (section 9 of the form) in the presence of the Doctor.

You may use any Medical Practice or company that carries out Group 2 standard medicals you choose provided that the doctor has sight of a summary of your medical records.

Step 2 – Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) Application and DVLA Check

Once you have set in motion your medical being completed, you can contact Taxi Plus (formerly known as Personnel Checks) to complete your Enhanced DBS Application and DVLA check.

Please note: The DVLA share code that you previously provided has been replaced by a DVLA check, that you complete with Taxi Plus, at the same time as applying for an enhanced DBS certificate.

Taxi Plus is an approved umbrella body which has been authorised by Charnwood Borough Council to carry out the DBS application process and DVLA check at this time.

Charnwood Borough Council will only accept a DVLA driving licence issued to your current address. If you have recently moved address, please change this before applying for your DVLA Check. Please ensure your licence is up to date before applying for your checks. Taxi Plus will guide all applicants to obtain the necessary proofs and checks to enable them to apply online.

To apply for your DBS and DVLA Check, you need to type the link below into your computer search bar with  https://www.taxiplus.co.uk/councils/charnwood?rq=charnwood or alternatively contact the Licensing section for the link to be emailed to you. 

If you have any questions about obtaining a DBS check then please view the most frequently asked questions. If your query cannot be resolved by reading the FAQ page, please contact Taxi Plus directly at hello@taxiplus.co.uk. Payment is direct to Taxi Plus. 

Once you have submitted your DBS application to Taxi Plus you will receive an email confirmation and information as to what to do next (e.g. identification documents to be submitted).

DBS Update Service

It is a requirement of your licence conditions that you MUST register with the DBS Update Service. Failure to do so will result in you having to apply for a further DBS Certificate at your own expense.

DBS Update Service Applicant Guide can be found below:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-update-service-applicant-guide/dbs-update-service-applicant-guide

Once registered for the DBS Update Service, fully complete and sign the DBS Update Service Consent Form in your renewal application pack. Do not return this form until you have registered. The DBS Update Service Consent Form is to be returned with your full application.

Failure to register may delay your application.

Step 3 - How to Apply

Application Form

Once you have received your original Charnwood Group 2 Medical Form, completed and signed by the Doctor, and your DBS Certificate you are now ready to apply.

The application form can be found below:

Other Documentation

All documents provided MUST be original.

Please submit the following with your completed application form which includes your HMRC Tax Check code and right to licence share code (if applicable):

  • Completed medical form signed and dated by the Doctor
  • The original DBS Certificate, which will be returned to you when you collect your Combined Drivers licence and badge
  • DBS Update Service Consent Form, (only once registered for the Update Service) which gives the Licensing section permission to access your DBS details via the update system 

Other documents required

  • One passport photograph (please write your FULL NAME and COMBINED DRIVERS LICENCE NUMBER, on the rear of the photo)
  • Right to Licence – if unable to provide a ‘right to licence share code’ (if applicable) original documentation is needed to allow the Licensing Section to carry out a manual check. To provide Original documentation, please email the Licensing section, licensing@charnwood.gov.uk  to make an appointment.
  • A Certificate of Good Conduct(s), if required (translated into English and no more than 3 months old at time of presentation).

Licence Fee

Once your application has been received and accepted as correct and complete, a member of the Licensing section will contact you to take payment over the telephone by Debit or Credit card. Please make sure that the Licensing Section has your correct contact details, i.e. email, telephone number.   

Alternatively you can enclose a cheque payable to Charnwood Borough Council. Cash payments are not accepted.

Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Fees and Charges

Step 4 - Outcome (Decision made)

Once the Council has received all of the above, we will use these to assess your fitness and suitability to renew your Combined Driver’s licence. 

Step 5 - Outcome (Badge and Licence issued)

The Licensing Section continues to predominantly work from home and are unlikely to return to the office full time. It is likely to be 50% of the week in the office for the foreseeable future. This restricts the time that the team has to produce actual licences/badges. Ensure that your renewal documentation is received in good time for renewal.

You will need to collect your badge and licence from the Council Offices. You will receive a call from the Licensing Office to arrange a time and date to collect. 

This will be followed by a confirmation email which will include instructions as to how to collect your licence.  

When collecting a badge you must attend the Council Offices on the date and time given. An appointment slot is for 20 minutes only. There is no waiting area within the Council Offices. Should you fail to attend within your allocated time slot; a further appointment will need to be made.

You will need to collect your badge and licence from Charnwood Borough Council Main Reception, Southfield Road, Loughborough, Leicestershire, LE11 2TX.

When you arrive please head towards the Council Offices front door entrance. Attend your appointment on time. When asked, advise you are here to collect your badge from Licensing. You will be shown to the Licensing desk within the Customer Service Centre.

Licensing MUST validate your identity at the time of collection; you need to bring your current valid DVLA licence. The officer will take a copy of both sides of your DVLA photo card which will be placed on your driver record.

If you do not have a photographic DVLA licence you will need to bring some form of photographic identification e.g. passport along with your paper DVLA licence.

Please note: if you do not bring your DVLA licence to your collection appointment your licence/badge will not be issued to you. A further appointment will need to be arranged.

As an existing licence holder you will receive a renewal reminder approximately two months before your licence expires.

Your licence will not be issued on the day of submitting your renewal. Please allow up to 10 working days for your renewal application to be processed. It is your responsibility to apply in plenty of time to renew your licence.

Last updated: Wed 18th September, 2024 @ 10:49