Issue - meetings

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

The Chair brought forward Item 7 in proceedings.

The Licensing Support Officer gave a summary of the report. The applicant had applied for a Combined Driver licence to drive for Airport Lynx on 20 January 2020. The applicant had declared on the application form that he had received 6 points in August 2017 for an IN10 (driving with no insurance). The DVLA Drivercheck had confirmed that he had received 6 points on 8 August 2017. 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 explained the circumstances surrounding the 6 point penalty. He stated that his wife had owned one vehicle in her name but that he was the main named driver with his wife as the second driver. He had then purchased a vehicle in his name but the insurance was in his wife’s name. He had not realised that he was not covered by insurance on his vehicle. The main reason that he had applied for a licence was in order to be able to see his son regularly.

In response to Members’ questions the applicant provided details of a previous offence when he was 15 years old. He explained that his wife had purchased her vehicle in 2015 and he had purchased his vehicle about 8 months later. He said that he thought he was covered by insurance to drive his vehicle but realised the serious consequences of not being insured. He stated that he had previously worked as a senior supervisor in the Metal industry but re-iterated his intention to be able to see more of his son.

At 11.20, the Committee retired to make its decision.

At 11.45, the Committee returned.

The decision was read to the applicant.

DECISION NOTICE –

The application before the Panel today is the applicant’s application for a joint hackney carriage/PHV driver’s licence.  If successful, he has an offer of employment from Airport Lynx.

In his application the applicant declared six penalty points received in August 2017 for an IN10 driving with no insurance offence.  This was confirmed by his DVLA Drivercheck dated 20^th January 2020 which stated that the date of the award of the points was 8^th August 2017. His form also contained a handwritten reference to a juvenile Court conviction in respect of possession of a knife. He freely admits to having been young and stupid at the time and we say no more about it. That lesson has been learned.

This therefore means that he does not meet the requirements of the Council’s driver suitability policy. Insurance offences are regarded by this Committee as being very serious matters. Paragraph 2.29 thereof states ‘Where an applicant has a conviction for a major traffic offence or similar offence, a licence will not be granted until at least 7 years have elapsed since the completion of any sentence imposed’

He would therefore not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4