Agenda and minutes

Report of the Director of Planning and Development attached.

On 21 September 2022 at 2:00pm, a sub-committee hearing was convened in respect of a review of a Private Hire Driver Licence.

The members were Cllr Matthew Lynch (Chair), Cllr Hasina Khan, Cllr Roy Lees, and Cllr John Walker. The Driver was also present.

The Enforcement Officer (Licensing) outlined the report of the Director of Planning and Development and explained that the Driver had been referred to the sub-committee because he had been convicted of an offence after the grant of his licence, taking him within the Council’s Safeguarding, Suitability and Convictions Policy for Taxi Licensing.

The Enforcement Officer (Licensing) outlined the Driver’s history as a licence holder. Following a complaint made by a member of the public, the Driver’s licence was reviewed by the General Licensing Sub-Committee in December 2009. As a result of this the licence holder was required to complete a recognised training course regarding customer care, customer safety and driver safety. With reference to paragraph 13, the Enforcement Officer (Licensing) confirmed that after the report was published, evidence confirming that the Driver had completed this course had now been discovered within Council records and paragraph 13 should be disregarded.

On two separate occasions the licence holder received a fixed penalty notice for a speeding offence, resulting in his DVLA licence being endorsed with 3 penalty points. On both occasions, the licence holder failed to notify the Council of this in accordance with the conditions of his licence, however, he did declare the fixed penalty on his subsequent applications to renew the licence.

No further complaints or incidents had been reported to the Council until the offence in March 2022 with the Driver’s licence last being renewed on 20 October 2020.

Members were asked to disregard paragraphs 20 and 21 of the report in relation to the Driver’s failure to notify the Council of the fixed penalty notice. The Enforcement Officer (Licensing) explained that further evidence had been provided by the Driver’s legal representative that demonstrates that notification was provided within 7 days of the conviction being imposed.

The Enforcement Officer (Licensing) referred members to the Safeguarding and Suitability Policy and explained that when an offence is committed in relation to driving or operating a taxi, this should be viewed in a more serious light and a longer period of rehabilitation will be required.

He explained that the Council’s Policy stated that any minor traffic offence which results in 6 or more penalty points are to be treated as a major traffic offence. The policy states that a period of 2 years is required before the Council would grant a licence to an applicant with a major traffic offence.

When asked by Members, the Enforcement Officer (Licensing) confirmed that the Driver’s licence was not currently suspended.

Members asked for clarification whether the previous speeding offences were obtained whilst in a licensed vehicle. In response, Members were advised that the Council would not hold these records but suggested that the Driver could clarify this point.

In making his  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.8