Preston has become the latest authority to sign up to a national safety register for cabbies.

The National Register of Taxi and Private Hire Licence Revocations and Refusals means drivers who have been refused a licence in another area will no longer be able to slip through the net.

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The purpose of the register – known as the NR3 for short – is to prevent drivers from submitting licence applications while failing to declare historical licence revocations or application refusals in other parts of the country.

It means it is easier to check a driver’s history – even when it has not been declared.

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Licensing officers can now check the register to see if driver applicants have either had a licence with another authority revoked or a licence application refused, which will assist them in making a determination on their application to Preston.

They will also update the Register with details of driver applicants who are refused a licence and details of any former licensed drivers who have had their licence revoked in Preston.

Councillor Peter Moss, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for planning and regulation, said: “I welcome this excellent initiative that was commissioned by the Local Government Association, to allow the sharing of information between licensing authorities.

“It strengthens our criteria for assessing taxi driver applicants and the monitoring of existing licensed drivers, to ensure passengers are being kept safe can have confidence that their driver is both professional and competent.

“For law-abiding taxi drivers, nothing changes as declaring your licensing history has always been a requirement.

“It’s only those who fraudulently submit inaccurate information that need to worry.

“As a licensing authority, public safety will always remain a priority and I believe the integrity of taxi and private hire drivers in Preston will be protected by this additional measure.

“I believe only six of the 14 Lancashire licensing authorities have signed up to the Register and I do hope the remaining ones do so as a priority.”

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