Agenda item

To consider the report of the Senior Licensing Officer.

Having regard to the views expressed by the Proper Officer regarding the public interest test, that on balance the public interest, in maintaining the exemption, outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information and that the report should be exempt.

RESOLVED that the public be excluded whilst this item of business is transacted as it was likely there would be a disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 12 Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

Consideration was given to the report of the Senior Licensing Officer, whereupon:-

Application for a New Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Vehicle Drivers Licence

Consideration was given to the application for a New Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Vehicle Drivers Licence.

The Applicant was introduced to Officers and Members of the Committee.

At the invitation of the Chair the Senior Licensing Officer advised that the applicant was for a new licence and presented to Members the Applicant’s application.

The Chair then invited the Applicant to present his case.

The Applicant referred to incidents on his application and felt that he had now matured and his previous behaviour was behind him.

At the invitation of the Chair the Applicant gave his reasons for why the Committee should not revoke his Licence.

The Applicant informed that he had applied for the licence to provide for his family and had hoped that as the business grew he could incorporate buses as he also had a bus licence.

The Chair invited questions from Members at this juncture.

A number of questions were raised by Members in relation to incidents on his application and bus training/driving undertaken by the Applicant.

The questions were responded to accordingly by the Applicant and Officers.

The Applicant and Licensing Officers left the meeting at this juncture for Members to consider the application.

The Committee discussed the application at length and a decision was made, and the Applicant and Officers were invited back into the meeting.

The Chair confirmed that Members had given due consideration to the application and asked the Solicitor to read out the decision of the Licensing Committee, as follows:-

The application before the Committee is for a New Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Drivers Licence.  The Licensing Officer informed Members that the Applicant had not previously held this type of licence.

The Committee noted from the DBS record shown to them today that the Applicant had a number of previous convictions, the Applicant explained the circumstances of the offences to Members present.

In mitigation, in relation to the offences, the Applicant said that the main offences happened a long time ago when he was a young man and he has now matured with a young child to think about. 

The Committee considered the evidence placed before the Committee today when reaching a decision and also considered the previous convictions and the representations made by the Applicant. The Committee also considered the representations made by the Licensing Officers present and considered the Council’s Convictions Policy and guidance conditions relating to Hackney Carriage Drivers Licences and Private Hire Vehicle Drivers Licences. The Committee considered in particular, the nature of the offences, how long ago they were committed, the applicant’s age at the time of the offences and the patterning of offending and penalties imposed as required within the Policy.

The Committee are of the opinion that the Applicant is a fit and proper person to hold a Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Driver’s Licence and the Committee therefore grant the application, therefore it was

RESOLVED that the Committee grant the Application.