Meeting documents
Taxi and Private Hire Sub Committee
Monday, 2nd April, 2012 6.30 pm
| Item | Description | Resolution |
|---|---|---|
| Declaration of interests - members are reminded that following the adoption by Council of the new Code of Conduct, any declaration of interest should be made having regard to the new code. In particular, members must make clear the nature of the interest and whether it is 'personal' or 'prejudicial'. The Monitoring Officer would like to remind members that when they are considering whether the following items are exempt information under the relevant paragraph under part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 they must have regard to the public interest test. This means that members must consider, for each item, whether the public interest in maintaining the exemption from disclosure outweighs the public interest in making the item available to the public. | ||
| 1 |
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE There were no apologies for absence received.
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| 2 |
DECLARATION OF INTERESTS There were no interests declared.
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| 3 |
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN |
RESOLVED THAT: Councillor N Smith take the chair for the remainder of the meeting. |
| 4 |
EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC |
RESOLVED THAT: In pursuance of Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act, 1972, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following business on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 7 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act, and in the circumstances of the matter under consideration, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information. |
| The officers consider that the press and public should be excluded during consideration of the following items in accordance with Section 100(a) of the Local Government Act 1972 as publicity would be likely to result in disclosure of exempt or confidential information. | ||
| 5 |
APPLICATION FOR A PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER'S LICENCE The Licensing Enforcement Officer presented the report which asked members to determine whether the applicant was a fit and proper person to hold a Hackney Carriage driver's licence. He gave background details and highlighted the options available to members.
There were no questions for the Licensing Enforcement Officer. The applicant presented his case. He stated that this was the only time he had been in trouble with the Police. He had been working since the age of 16 and this had been his only mistake. He added that he had been going through a difficult time as he had split up with his wife. He explained that he was now back together with his wife and they had recently had a baby. He had been signing on for the past 6 months and could not find a job. He expressed remorse for his actions and felt that he deserved a second chance. He added that he was hardworking and trustworthy, and had previously been a taxi driver in London for 3-4 years with no complaints. In response to questions from members, the applicant stated the following: - At the time of his prosecution, he did not consider himself to be an addict. He had been suffering with a sciatic nerve problem and had been smoking marijuana to ease the pain. He no longer suffered with this back pain. - He had not continued using drugs since his prosecution. He had been stopped by the Police 6 times since, and nothing had been found. - He had not applied for a licence nearer home as there was a long waiting list and he had been asked to apply for a licence by an operator. - He had left his job in London as his licence expired and he split up with his wife. He did not reapply for a licence as he had moved to be nearer his children. - He had received conventional treatment for his sciatica, but it had not eased his condition. He went to Pakistan and spoke to a religious man, and since then his back pain had not returned. The Licensing Enforcement Officer made a brief closing statement. He reported that there was no indication on the applicant's medical form of a history of any medical condition which could possibly affect his driving. It was highlighted that the medical assessment was undertaken by a doctor who was not the applicant's GP and therefore would not have access to his medical records. The applicant made a brief closing statement reiterating points made earlier in the hearing. At 7.10pm the Sub Committee adjourned to consider its decision. The meeting reconvened at 7.27pm. |
RESOLVED THAT: a) The application be permitted with a strict warning as to future conduct. b) The applicant be requested to meet with the Licensing Enforcement Officer every 4 weeks to discuss progress. |
Published on Wednesday, 4th April, 2012
The meeting closed at 7.30pm.
Attendance Details
Present:
Councillors G Allman, P Hyde and N Smith.
Officers: Mr A Cooper, Mr D Gill and Miss M Terry.
The applicant was in attendance.
Officers: Mr A Cooper, Mr D Gill and Miss M Terry.
The applicant was in attendance.