Virtual Town Hall

In November 2025, we held a virtual Town Hall event to give residents a chance to find out more about what the council is doing to ensure local people and the district thrives. 

Cllr Sam Chapman-Allen, the council's Leader, answered questions from local residents and the event's host, Ian Clarke. Ian is an experienced local journalist and Executive Editor at the Eastern Daily Press newspaper.

If you missed the event, you can watch a recording below or via our YouTube and social media pages.

During the event, we covered a wide range of subjects, including:

• The future of local councils and what it could mean for residents
• How the council uses temporary accommodation sites
• The future of local car parks
• Protecting farmland from being converted into solar farms
• Tackling anti-social behaviour
• And more!

But we didnt have quite enough time for all the questions received, so here are the answers to the small number that we didnt get to:

Taxi fare costs

Q. Last week, I contacted a local taxi company to request a quote for a round trip to King's Lynn. I was astonished to receive an estimate of nearly £200, which equates to around £2 per mile. Given that the average family car can achieve between 45 and 50 miles per gallon, I would like to ask why do taxi fares in Breckland appear to be among the highest in the country, placing the district in the top quartile of local authorities for taxi pricing? Could you please explain the factors that determine these costs and whether there are any plans to review fare structures to ensure they remain fair and competitive for local residents?

A. Many Thanks for your question.

The Council set maximum hackney carriage rates ( known as Table of Fares) but do not control or regulate private hire charging.

Private Hire operators provide quotes and this is between the provider of the service and the customer, as it would be in any other business in a free market.

A list of the Hackney Carriage Table of Fares can be found at Hackney Carriage Table of Fares - Breckland Council. These are the maximum fees that can be charged by a Hackney Carriage.

Please be assured that we regularly review this, particularly giving regard to the rural nature of our area and this may lead to longer journeys.

If you have a complaint about a particular operator or believe you have been overcharged, then please contact our licensing team via Licensing@breckland.gov.uk

Disabled parking spaces

Q. What is the council doing about people parking in disabled spaces when they are not disabled on council car parks? This leads to no spaces being available for genuine disabled residents

A. We are aware of reports that some people may be mis-using the disabled spaces in some Council-owned car parks by not displaying the required blue badge. Consequently, we are visiting our sites to complete adhoc inspections and will place notices on any vehicles that fail to display a blue badge.