Meeting documents
Taxi and Private Hire Sub Committee
Monday, 17th December, 2007 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 |
ELECTION OF CHAIRMAN |
RESOLVED THAT: Councillor N Smith take the Chair for the meeting. |
| 2 |
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 3 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. | ||
| 3 |
RENEWAL OF A PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER'S LICENCE The applicant attended the meeting.
The Licensing Enforcement Officer introduced the report which asked Members to determine an application to renew a private hire driver's licence. Background information to the application was given and details of a recent CRB check were given. There were no questions to the Licensing Enforcement Officer from the applicant. In response to a question from a Member, the Licensing Enforcement Officer stated that it was usual for a licence to be granted by the licensing section to someone with similar circumstances to the applicant as the convictions were long time ago, also an interview had been undertaken and it was felt the applicant was fit and proper to hold a licence. The applicant did not wish to add any further information to his case than he had already submitted. There were no questions to the applicant from the Licensing Enforcement Officer. The applicant gave the following responses to questions from Members: - Whilst driving a taxi in Nottingham in the past, the applicant had dealt with difficult customers by getting out of the taxi and calling the police. - The convictions due to violent behaviour in the past did occur whilst the applicant had been drinking but the applicant stressed that he was not on duty, plus it was a bad period in his life as he had lost his job and home. t was noted that the applicant did like to have a drink socially but he did not consider this to be a problem and was not an alcoholic. - The applicant confirmed that he had attended anger management sessions in the past for 12 months as he had been suffering from depression which led him to struggle with his temper. - The applicant apologised for not declaring the recent conviction in 2007 as he had forgotten to do so. The applicant confirmed the address that he was using for correspondence. The Licensing Enforcement Officer did not wish to give a closing statement. The applicant gave a brief closing statement and apologised for any inconvenience caused by calling the meeting. He also informed the Members that he was registered as homeless and had no permanent address. He explained that he was involved in the NVQ qualification that taxi drivers can gain and was focusing on including more work on topics such as first aid. In response to a question from the Legal Advisor, the applicant stated that the address he had submitted was his wife's address which he visited twice a week. He also reported that he spent nights at his children's houses and also friends throughout the week. He confirmed that he could be contacted by mobile phone. In response to a question from a Member, the applicant confirmed that he would be able to obtain a home of his own if the licence was renewed. At 6.55pm the Sub Committee adjourned to consider its decision and re-convened at 7.20pm. |
RESOLVED THAT: That the application to renew a private hire driver's licence be approved. In reaching their decision members had considered the committee report, the submissions made at the meeting and the answers provided by the applicant to questions that were put at the meeting. When considering the breach of licence conditions and past and recent convictions, the Committee were satisfied that this was not a pattern of behaviour which the applicant would continue with. The Chairman warned the applicant that he must read and understand the conditions of the licence and that officers would take a dim view of any future complaints or non compliance with the licence conditions. Any further convictions, allegations or breach of conditions would be reported to the committee. |
Published on Friday, 28th December, 2007
The meeting closed at 7.25pm.
Attendance Details
Present:
Councillors J G Coxon, D Howe and N Smith.
Officers: Mrs J Cotton, Miss R Levy and Miss E McHugh.
In attendance: Mr D Gill (NWLDC)
Officers: Mrs J Cotton, Miss R Levy and Miss E McHugh.
In attendance: Mr D Gill (NWLDC)