Issue - meetings

To determine a hackney carriage vehicle renewal.

The Chair introduced the panel.

The Enforcement Officer gave a summary of the report.

The driver said he had not realised prior to his employment that the majority of his work would take place outside of Uttlesford District. Working around Sawbridgeworth was difficult because some roads were in Uttlesford and some were in East Herts. He had applied to work at Sadlers because many taxi firms do not employ drivers who already own their own cars.

In response to a Member question, the driver said he had not applied to Epping Forest District Council, as they received many applications and had closed off the application process for a few months.

At 14.00, the Committee retired to make its decision.

At 15.25, the Committee returned.

The decision was read to the driver.

DECISION NOTICE –

The application before the Panel today is for the renewal of the driver’s hackney carriage vehicle licence number HCV074 under S61 (1) (c) Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.- any other reasonable cause. The licence  expired on 31^st July and the vehicle was first licensed by UDC last year.

The driver lives in London and is a self employed owner/driver for a company called Sadlers Taxis, working from their Sawbridgworth office. All proprietors of hackney carriage vehicles are required to sign a declaration that they will predominantly work within the Uttlesford District.  

The declaration reads:

I have been advised that, based upon the decision of the High Court in the case of R. (on the application of Newcastle City Council) –v- Berwick-upon-Tweed BC, Uttlesford District Council ought not to licence Hackney Carriages which will be predominantly used outside the District.

I hereby declare that it is my intention that the vehicle/s licensed by me will be used predominantly in the District of Uttlesford and I understand that should this not be the case either at the date hereof or at any time thereafter the Council may revoke or refuse to renew the licence under section 60(1)(c) Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

The driver most recently signed this declaration on 01 July 2019. He previously signed  it on 28 June 2018; his circumstances then were as they are now and accordingly he received a letter from the Council’s Environmental Health Manager (Commercial) drawing his attention to the declaration and advising that going forward, the Council would be requiring evidence as to his compliance with this requirement. On receipt of his renewal application, containing the same details, the Enforcement Officer became involved and on 23^rd July, requested that the driver submit details of all hackney carriage work undertaken by him since August 2018. 

This was supplied by Sadlers Taxis, and analysis of the information provided by them showed that of 1685 jobs undertaken by him for the previous year, 468 either began or ended within the District of Uttlesford.  Expressed as a percentage this amounts to 27.77% of his journeys, that is, a very little more than a quarter.

Since 1847 when the provincial hackney  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6