Issue - meetings

Determination of a Private Hire/Hackney Carriage Driver's Licence

Meeting: 03/03/2020 - Licensing and Environmental Health Committee (Item 3)

Determination of a Private Hire/Hackney Carriage Driver's Licence

To determine a private hire/hackney carriage driver’s licence.

Additional documents:

  • Restricted enclosure 2
  • Restricted enclosure 3

Minutes:

The Chair returned to Item 3 in proceedings.

 

The Licensing Support Officer gave a summary of the report. The applicant had applied for a Private Hire/Hackney Carriage Driver’s Licence on 4 September 2019 to drive school contract vehicles for 24x7 Limited. Question 11 on the driver application form asks ‘Has your licence ever been endorsed for a fixed penalty offence within the last 4 years?’ The applicant had answered ‘No’ to this question. The DVLA Drivercheck had been carried out on 21 October 2019 and this showed three separate offences all of which were convictions that had resulted in three penalty points on each occasion. The applicant now came before members for them to determine whether he was a ‘fit and proper’ person to hold a licence as he had not met the Council’s licensing standards.

 

            The applicant stated that he had made a mistake on the application form but had realised his mistake and had contacted 24x7 Limited shortly after his interview to ask them to correct his mistake. However, this mistake had not been corrected. He said that he had not worked for two years and had not driven a car for 18 months due to a back operation. He said he had previously worked for an Ambulance company and he was blue light trained. He said he had been the first medic on site at the London Bridge terror attack and that this experience had greatly affected him.

 

            In response to Members’ questions he explained the circumstances surrounding each of the three penalty point offences. He said that he did not have medical evidence that he had been off sick for two years. He confirmed that there had been no other driving offences during his time spent driving ambulances

 

He said that he had been interviewed by 24x7 Limited in a Harvester Inn and that some of the application form had been prepared in advance. He re-iterated that he had contacted the company shortly after his interview to correct his error but despite being told that the application form would be amended this had not happened. He said that he had made mistakes but had a lot to offer.

 

            At 10.45, the Committee retired to make its decision.

 

            At 11.00, the Committee returned.

 

            The decision was read to those present.

 

 

            DECISION NOTICE –

 

The application before the Panel today is an applicant’s application for a joint hackney carriage/PHV driver’s licence.  If successful, he has an offer of employment from 24 x 7 Ltd on the school contract side of the business. This hearing has been deferred to enable him to attend before us today.

 

Question 11 of the form (a copy of which we have before us) asks “Has your licence ever been endorsed for a fixed penalty notice within the last 4 years?”. The applicant replied “No” to this question. However, the routine DVLA Drivercheck carried out on 21st October 2019 as part of the Council’s due diligence revealed the following matters:-