Swindon MPs and murdered woman's family welcome taxi safeguarding law

The campaigning mother and brother of murdered Swindon woman Sian O'Callaghan have helped to change the law around taxi driver licensing.

In 2011 Sian O’Callaghan was picked up by taxi driver Christopher Halliwell and murdered following a night out in Swindon.

Her mother, Elaine Pickford, and brother, Liam O'Callaghan, campaigned for a change in the law to make it mandatory for licensing authorities to access vital background information about drivers seeking a licence in their areas. 

The two were joined by North Swindon MP Justin Tomlinson, who brought the campaign to Parliament in 2018, Swindon Borough Council member Kate Tomlinson, who has worked closely with Elaine & Liam on women’s safety, South Swindon MP Sir Robert Buckland MP, who helped to create the legislation with Peter Gibson MP and the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, which campaigns against violence against women and girls and is named for a young woman who disappeared in 1986.

Sian’s family said in a statement: “As a family the raw pain of losing someone so special in an horrendous way is so difficult. However, we take pride in the fact that Sian's name and legacy is now intertwined with this law set out to improve safety, better protecting passengers and hardworking law abiding drivers themselves.

"We would like to personally thank Peter Gibson MP for taking the Bill through Parliament, Saskia Garner from the Suzy Lamplugh Trust for her tireless campaigning, alongside Kate Tomlinson, for women’s safety, the Rt Hon Robert Buckland MP and Justin Tomlinson MP for listening, supporting and driving this forward over the last four years.

"This law, by way of sharing information across local authorities and improving the safety checks, will go some way to ensuring drivers with criminal motive are not able to manipulate the system to gain licenses.

"Thank you.”

It was an emotional moment for the campaigners when the Taxi & Private Hire Vehicles Safeguarding Legislation was granted Royal Assent, meaning it became law.

The law will support the work of councils to ensure anyone using a taxi or private hire vehicle (PHV) is kept safe.

In 2018, Sian’s mother joined forces with Justin and Kate Tomlinson to host a campaign launch in Parliament which called for increased safety measures for people getting into a taxi, including vital background information on drivers seeking to become taxi drivers.

They were joined by other campaigners from across the country, including Sami Woodhouse, a victim of the Rotherham Abuse scandal in which many of the abusers drove taxis to pick up young victims.

Sir Robert Buckland MP joined the campaign, and together the Swindon MPs and campaigners managed to get enough support for the legislation to finally make its way through Parliament.

The MPs praised the work of Elaine and Liam, and said in a joint statement: “Thanks to Elaine & Liam, Sian’s legacy is now helping to keep millions of people in our country safer. They have used their pain as a family to harness support for a new law which we are pleased to have supported and helped push through Parliament. 

"Their endless determination has been so admirable given the tragic events they have had to endure, and we look forward to working with them on more campaigns in the future.”