A new maximum taxi fare has been approved for areas of Oxfordshire despite concern the scheme is "rubbish" and the authority responsible is "behaving like a dictator".

The Vale of White Horse and South Oxfordshire district councils agreed to set the tariff at a cabinet meeting last week.

Drivers will now be allowed to issue a maximum charge of £5.90 per mile for daylight hours and £7.85 for later hours and Sundays or bank holidays.

READ MORE: New 20mph speed limits approved for Oxfordshire villages

A consultation, primarily aimed at taxi drivers but also open to other members of the public, was conducted by the councils in February after an email was sent round to traders.

thisisoxfordshire: Taxis.Taxis. (Image: PA/Press Association Images)

Most respondents in South Oxfordshire - 60 per cent - disagreed with the proposed tariff while six per cent expressed strong support.

Of Vale of White Horse district respondents, 38 per cent agreed with the proposed tariff while 27 per cent disagreed.

One objector said: "Licensing are behaving like dictators just telling us what they say we can charge without properly listening to the trade."

Cabinet member for corporate services, policy and programmes, Andy Foulsham, said he thought the fact of 80 per cent of people opening the survey email was "quite exceptional" and that consultation had been sufficient.

thisisoxfordshire: Andy Foulsham.Andy Foulsham. (Image: Vale of White Horse District Council.)

This was despite the fact that no more than 26 people from the Vale of White Horse district and 53 people from South Oxfordshire had got back with a response, the majority being taxi drivers.

This comes as one member of the public said in the public meeting the scheme was "rubbish" amid claims it had not been subject to proper consultation.