Urgent Driver/Operator/Vehicle Sub Committee - 22 January 2026

The meeting opened with Councillor Ball moving, and Councillor Martin seconding, the election of Councillor O’Keefe as Chairman. A subsequent motion, moved by Councillor O’Keefe and seconded by Councillor Martin, resolved that the press and public be excluded while the Committee considered items involving exempt information about individuals, in accordance with the Local Government Act 1972.

The Committee considered three separate licence‑revocation applications concerning private‑hire and hackney‑carriage operators who had been arrested on allegations of rape. In each case the applicant (W02, WD219 and WV171) attended the hearing, was reminded of the right to legal representation but chose to represent themselves, and provided limited detail about the allegations to avoid prejudicing ongoing investigations. The Council’s licensing policy states that an arrest for a serious indictable offence, even without a conviction, may constitute a risk to public safety and therefore warrants revocation if the licence holder is not deemed a “fit and proper” person. Applying that policy, the Sub‑Committee concluded that each of the three applicants failed the fit‑and‑proper test and resolved to revoke their licences with immediate effect, noting that mental‑health considerations could not be taken into account in the determination.

A further application concerned the hackney‑carriage and private‑hire licence of driver WD217. The applicant, who had previously been granted a licence in May 2025 after disclosure of convictions for grievous bodily harm, actual bodily harm and speeding offences, was found to be under police investigation for child‑sex offences and to have a record of concerning behaviour, including domestic abuse and threats of violence. The Committee noted that the driver works on school contracts, heightening the public‑safety concern. After hearing the applicant’s representations, the Committee resolved to revoke the licence under Section 61(2B) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, again citing the fit‑and‑proper test and the primacy of public safety.

Across all four revocation decisions, the Committee emphasized adherence to statutory guidelines and Council policy, the necessity of protecting the public, and the procedural right of licence holders to be heard, even when they elect to do so without legal representation. The outcomes were recorded as final resolutions, and the full minutes for each item (UDOL/4‑7) were referenced for further detail.