FEES for Burnley taxi drivers' licences are likely to remain the same next year.

The council's licensing committee is to meet this week to set fees from January onwards.

Sections 53 and 70 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 permit councils to set driver, vehicle and operator licence fees to recover certain specified costs but they must not generate a profit.

Currently, a five-year private hire operator licence cost £2,660 and a one-year licence is £543.

A three-year licence application costs £144 while a one-year application is £64.

Renewal costs are £99 for three years and £49 for one year.

A report to go before the committee states: "Costs for each licence category (i.e. operators, private hire vehicles, private hire drivers, hackney proprietors and hackney drivers) are apportioned and recovered via the fee that is paid.

"Any surplus or deficit is applied to the relevant fee category of operator, proprietor, drivers or vehicles, as appropriate.

"Driver’s licences are currently issued for three years and in order that there is fairness to drivers throughout this period fees are generally maintained at the same level for the duration of the three years, unless there is a significant variation or requirement to change.

"This approach has been agreed and implemented in conjunction with the trade via the Taxi Task Group (TTG) for a number of years.

"Whilst there have been inflationary increases and continued pro-active work by officers in progressing the agreed annual objectives, it is proposed that no variation is made to licensing fees during 2019."