Local authorities in England and Wales will be asked to publicly justify and regularly review taxi licence restrictions as part of a Government plan to improve service for consumers without centralised control of cab licensing.

The plan from the DTI and TfT calls for: - Local decisions to restrict taxi numbers to be made with consumer interests in mind; - Decisions on quantity controls to stay with the local district; - Increased competition in the taxi market; - Best practice guidance for licensing authorities on quality and safety standards; and - Better information to enable consumers to negotiate lower fares. At present, local authorities' decisions on taxi licences and vehicle types do not have to be justified to external authorities, and approved taxi types and numbers vary across the country.