Decision details

The Licensing Team Leader presented the report to consider an application for a Private Hire/Hackney Carriage (Joint) Driver Licence.

The Chairman invited the applicant to make representations and questioned why he had failed to disclose any convictions on Section 5 of the licence application form given that details of previous convictions had been obtained by the Authority via a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) criminal records disclosure.

Whilst explaining that he had wrongly interpreted the question to reflect any motoring convictions, the applicant stressed that he had nothing to hide.  In response to queries from the panel, he provided explanation on the circumstances surrounding his convictions which had taken place some years before and clarified a range of issues relating to these in response to questions from the Solicitor.  When asked, the applicant declared himself to be a fit and proper person to hold a licence, citing his eagerness to work in support of this.

When the Chairman was satisfied that all relevant questions had been raised, he requested that the applicant and the Licensing Team Leader leave the meeting whilst the panel reached a decision.

4.1       Determination of the Application

In determining the application, the panel considered the Council’s guidance on the treatment of convictions which was appended to the report.  Although the panel had concerns about the applicant’s failure to declare his previous convictions, they gave due regard to the circumstances of those convictions and the length of time since they had taken place.  As such, they considered the applicant to be a fit and proper person to hold a Private Hire/Hackney Carriage (Joint) Drivers Licence.

The Licensing Team Leader and the applicant were invited to return so that the meeting could be reconvened.

4.2       Decision

The Chairman advised that the panel had considered the representations made by all parties and on that basis, had agreed to grant the application.

RESOLVED:

That the applicant was a fit and proper person to hold a Private Hire/ Hackney Carriage Driver’s Licence under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and that the Licence be granted.