Report of the Director of Early Intervention and Support (enclosed).
Minutes:
The Director of Early Intervention and Support submitted a report to the General Licensing Sub-Committee informing Members of a Private Hire Driver’s (PHD) Licence renewal application. Members were recommended to consider the contents of the report and determine whether the applicant was a fit and proper person to hold a Private Hire Driver’s Licence.
The applicant was invited to the meeting but did not attend.
Officers received an application to renew a PHD Licence on 12 June 2017. Council records indicated that the applicant had held a PHD licence with Chorley Council since July 2004 and his current PHD licence would expire on 12 July 2017. Following the submission of the applicant’s Group II Medical, the Council’s Medical Advisor recommended that the applicant was not medically fit to be awarded a PHD Licence.
The Council’s Medical Advisor advised that the applicant was required to undergo a treadmill test before a licence could be recommended. Members noted the ongoing issues with the applicant failing to manage his records as required with his medical condition. Until these matters were resolved and the information be provided, the Council’s Medical Advisor recommended that the applicant should be refused a licence.
Officers responded to the correspondence from the Council’s Medical Advisor using the Council’s scheme of delegation and suspended the applicant with immediate effect on 29 June 2017.
Post suspension, Officers contacted the applicant on 6 July 2017 to establish what progress had been made in relation to meeting the requirements of the Group II standards. The applicant stated that he was booked in for the treadmill test and had had a blood test some three weeks previous and was awaiting the results. The applicant was offered advice on what steps to take when he received the test results to avoid any unnecessary delays.
Further to this, Members noted issues with the applicant’s medical on previous occasions. In September 2012 the Council required the applicant to provide a further medical. The Council received the medical on 8 October 2012, this medical was referred to the Council’s Medical Advisor who advised that the applicant did not satisfy the Group II requirements; Officers at that time did not suspend the applicant’s PHD licence. On this occasion, the applicant was written to in February 2013 requiring him to undergo the stated medical tests that would determine whether he was medically fit or not. He was again written to on 3 April 2013 in the same respect.
The applicant was invited to renew his PHD licence in April 2014; the completed application was received on 10 July 2014. Officers were unable to find any record of a medical being received to support that application, however the applicant’s PHD licence was renewed at that time.
At the time of writing the report officers found no evidence that the applicant had engaged with the request and the matter remained outstanding.
After careful consideration the Sub-Committee RESOLVED to refuse to renew the Private Hire Driver Licence for the following reasons;
1. The Council’s Medical Advisor advised that he should not be licensed.
2. The Council had not received results of the treadmill test or the blood tests.
3. There was no evidence that he applicant had dealt with correspondence from the Council in 2013 regarding further medical tests.
4. The applicant was not present at the Sub-Committee and so there were no representations before Members as to why they should authorise renewal of the licence.
Members asked that Officers inform any local authorities with whom the driver is known to hold a taxi licence of the refusal to renew.