North Tyneside Council is often asked for information relating to hackney carriages and private hire vehicles registered.
The Authority has considered these questions carefully and is withholding this information. This is because it considers it exempt under section 12, section 21 and section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act.
Vehicle registration numbers
We are frequently asked for the registration number of hackney carriages and private hire vehicles.
Vehicle registration numbers of vehicles licenced to an individual will not be supplied after applying section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (personal information). Vehicle registration numbers are exempt from disclosure under section 40(2) of the Freedom of Information Act (personal data) following the ICO decision Reference, FS50793373 https://ico.org.uk/media2/migrated/decision-notices/2614512/fs50793373.pdf
Vehicle registration numbers that relate to partnerships or limited companies are exempt from disclosure under section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The reason for this is that this information is publicly available under Section 42 the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and Section 51(3) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 state Councils must maintain a book/register of drivers licenced to drive Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles.
These registers can be inspected by appointment only at the Licensing Office between 9.30am and 4pm Monday to Friday.
Refusal notice: Section 21 – Information accessible by other means
Section 42 the Town Police Clauses Act 1847 and Section 51(3) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 state Councils must maintain a book/register of drivers licenced to drive Hackney Carriages and Private Hire Vehicles.
The following information is held in the Authority register:
- Whether a vehicle is a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle
- Make and model of the vehicle
- Name of licence holder
- Operator licence number
- Plate number
- Date licence commenced
- Date licence ends
- Registration number of vehicles registered to corporate bodies
This information is refused under section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The reason for this is that this information is publicly available under the above Acts.
The section 21 exemption of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is in place to ensure there is no right of access to information via the Freedom of Information Act if it is available to the applicant by another route. Therefore, as these registers are available for public viewing under the above legislations, it cannot be disclosed under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
The registers can be inspected by appointment only at the Licensing Office between 9.30am and 4pm Monday to Friday.
Wheelchair accessible vehicles
Information relating to licensed vehicles which are wheelchair accessible is refused under section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The reason for this is that this information is published in the vehicles section
Name of the operator the vehicle usually works for
The name of the operator the vehicle works for is not a mandatory field on the application form and there is no requirement for the Authority to be informed if the operator changes.
Where this information is held, it is refused under section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The reason for this is that this information is publicly available in the vehicles section (for wheelchair accessible vehicles)
For all other vehicles, the information is available for public viewing by making an appointment with the Licensing office.
Please note, the information held by the Authority is only correct as at the time the application was made, if it was provided.
Contact information
The Authority is often asked for contact details (address, telephone number, email address) held to book a taxi. This information is refused under section 21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The reason for this is that this information is available via each taxi operator.
Refusal notice: Section 12 - Cost of compliance exceeds the appropriate limit
DVLA Registration Date
We are frequently asked for the date the vehicle was registered with the DVLA. This information is not held in an extractable format and each of the 800+ records held would have to be accessed individually to gather this information.
Therefore, this information is refused under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 since the cost of complying would exceed the appropriate limit set out in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. In assessing the cost of complying, the costs attributable to officer time involved in complying have been considered. Such costs are limited to £450.00 under the Regulations, which equates to eighteen hours of officer time.
If you require this information, you may wish to refine your request by narrowing its scope by being more specific about what information you particularly wish to obtain.
Date of last MOT
We are frequently asked for the date of the last MOT. This information is not held in an extractable format and each of the 800+ records held would have to be accessed individually to gather this information.
Therefore, this information is refused under section 12 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 since the cost of complying would exceed the appropriate limit set out in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004. In assessing the cost of complying, the costs attributable to officer time involved in complying have been considered. Such costs are limited to £450.00 under the Regulations, which equates to eighteen hours of officer time.
If you require this information, you may wish to refine your request by narrowing its scope by being more specific about what information you particularly wish to obtain.
Information not held by the Authority
The Authority does not record the following information:
- Number of vehicles allowed under the licence
- Number of PHV drivers working for each operator
Right of review
You have the right to a review of the Authority decision; however, the Authority last reviewed its position in January 2026. The Authority will review this position annually.
If you have made a Freedom of Information request to the Authority and you are unhappy with the initial response you may request an internal review within two months of the response by contacting, FOI.Officer@northtyneside.gov.uk please quote your FOI reference number.
If you are not satisfied with the response, you may contact the information Commissioner’s Office at www.ico.org.uk or via post below:
Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113