Agenda and draft minutes

General Licensing Sub-Committee - Wednesday, 21st August 2024 6.30 pm

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Venue: Committee Room 1, Town Hall, Chorley

Contact: Christine Wood, Democratic and Member Services Officer  Email: christine.wood@chorley.gov.uk

Items
No. Item

1.

Declarations of Any Interests

Members are reminded of their responsibility to declare any pecuniary interest in respect of matters contained in this agenda.

 

If you have a pecuniary interest you must withdraw from the meeting. Normally you should leave the room before the business starts to be discussed. You do, however, have the same right to speak as a member of the public and may remain in the room to enable you to exercise that right and then leave immediately. In either case you must not seek to improperly influence a decision on the matter.

Minutes:

There were no declarations of interest.

2.

Procedure pdf icon PDF 61 KB

The procedure for the hearing is enclosed.

Minutes:

The Chair outlined the procedure to be followed.

3.

Exclusion of the Public and Press

To consider the exclusion of the press and public for the following items of business on the ground that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

 

By Virtue of Paragraph 1: Information relating to any individual.

Condition:

Information is exempt to the extent that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Information is not exempt if it relates to proposed development for which the local planning authority may grant itself planning permission pursuant to Regulation 3 of the Town & Country Planning General Regulations 1992(a).

 

Minutes:

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972. 

4.

Determination of Application for the Grant of a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver Licence

To receive and consider the report of the Director of Planning and Property.

Minutes:

On Wednesday, 21 August 2024 at 6.30pm a General Licensing Sub-Committee was convened to consider an application for the grant of a Hackney Carriage Driver Licence and an application for the grant of a Private Hire Driver Licence. 

 

The Sub-Committee was comprised of Councillors Matthew Lynch (in the Chair), Councillor Margaret France, Christine Heydon, Craige Southern and Kate Wilkie. 

 

The applicant was also present. Mr Charles Oakes from the Hackney Drivers Association Ltd was also present representing the applicant. 

 

Mr Nathan Howson, Licensing Team Leader was present at the hearing and presented a report of the Director of Planning and Property advising that the applicant had applied for a licence on 18 July 2024.  A copy of the application was appended to the report at appendix 1.  The applicant had declared he had never previously held a licence.  All normal application requirements had been completed.   

 

Further documents were circulated to the Sub-Committee as follows: 

 

A letter from the applicant in support of his application (Updated Appendix 4). 

 

A letter supporting the applicant’s application from JP (Appendix 6). 

 

A letter supporting the applicant from AB (Appendix 7). 

 

Mr Howson explained that on 23 July 2024, the applicant had failed the Council’s Knowledge Test and that the following day he had returned and successfully passed the Knowledge Test. 

 

Mr Howson also explained that in support of his application, the applicant had provided an enhanced certificate from the Disclosure and Barring Service a copy of which was appended to the report at appendix 2.  The certificate provided details of two convictions relating to the possession with intent to supply drugs, possession of drugs and causing serious injury by dangerous driving. 

 

The applicant had provided a statement to support his application, a copy of which was appended to the report at appendix 4. 

 

It was reported that following a request, HM Probation Service had confirmed that the applicant had been released from prison in July 2014 and that the period that he had been supervised in the community had ended in November 2015.  A copy of the correspondence was appended to the report at appendix 5. 

 

The Chair invited the applicant to make any representations to the Sub-Committee as regards his fitness to hold a Hackney Carriage Driver Licence and a Private Hire Driver Licence. 

 

Mr Charles Oakes, representing the applicant advised the Sub-Committee that the applicant had admitted to both offences stating that at the time of the first offence, the applicant was not under the influence of drugs or alcohol and was not taking drugs.  Mr Oakes advised that the applicant had been assessed for drugs by the Police.  The applicant’s results had been normal. 

 

The applicant expressed remorse to the Sub-Committee stating that he had been very young, had made a huge mistake and that he should not have been speeding.  The applicant stated that he was deeply sorry for his actions and for everyone involved, he was unable to change the situation and had to live each day with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.