Licensing Panel Hearing

In October, two cases were presented to Stratford-on-Avon District Council's Licensing Panel, which resulted in one licence being revoked and one suspended.

The first, a 70-year-old from Wellesbourne, Warwickshire continued to drive his licensed hackney carriage vehicle for over 1,300 miles, despite two MOT Failure Certificates being issued within an eight-month period against the vehicle.

The Panel concluded that this posed a risk under public safety to both passengers and vulnerable children being transported to school and that the driver was no longer a fit and proper person to hold a licence.  The driver had also received warnings for other breaches of his licence.

The driver did not wish to appeal the decision and is no longer a licensed driver with the District Council.

The second case relates to an incident in Stratford-upon-Avon town centre of careless driving and the refusal of a fare.

The driver, a 52-year-old from Stratford-upon-Avon caused a risk to the safety of himself and other road users, which the Panel agreed was unacceptable.

He also failed to meet his duty of care and refused to take a fare without reasonable excuse to a potential passenger.

The driver received a 28-day suspension, which is now in force.

Cllr Lorraine Grocott, Chair of the Licensing Panel said: "The safety of the public is paramount when passengers are being transported in vehicles licensed by the District Council.  The authority has to ensure its drivers are fit and proper to hold a licence and that their vehicles are kept in a safe and roadworthy condition. 

"On this occasion, both drivers failed to adhere to the conditions of their licence and subsequently were issued with the respective decisions by the Licensing Panel."

The Licensing Panel meeting took place on 16 October and the Minutes have now been published with details of the offences.  Both drivers had 21 days to appeal this decision at the Magistrate's Court, neither of which decided to appeal.