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Agenda and minutes

Contact: Alan Maher  01246 217391

Items
No. Item

165.

Appointment of Chair for the Meeting

Minutes:

RESOLVED – That Councillor P Kerry be appointed Chair for this meeting of the General Licensing Sub-Committee.

 

166.

Declarations of Interest

Members are requested to declare the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or other interests, not already on their register of interests, in any item on the agenda and withdraw from the meeting at the appropriate time.

Minutes:

Members were requested to declare the existence and nature of any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or other interests, not already on their register of interests, in any item on the agenda and withdraw from the meeting at the appropriate time.

 

There were no declarations of interests by Members at this meeting.

 

167.

Matters of Urgency - Open Session

To consider any other matter which the chair of the Sub-Committee is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

There were no items of urgent business.

168.

Exclusion of Public

The Chair to Move:-

 

“That the public be excluded from the meeting during the discussion of the following items of business to avoid the disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1, Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006)”. 

Minutes:

RESOLVED - That the public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following items of business to avoid the disclosure to them of exempt information as defined in Paragraph 1, Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

 

With the agreement of the Chair, the Sub-Committee took a 10 minute recess.

 

169.

Report of the Licensing Team Leader

Report No LTL/5/19-20/KR – Mr B, Sheffield – 1.05 pm

 

Minutes:

The Sub-Committee considered Report No LTL/5/19-20/SH/KR of the Licensing Team Leader in respect of Mr B – Chesterfield. The purpose of the report was to enable Members to decide whether or not Mr B was a fit and proper person to continue to hold a Hackney Carriage/ Private Hire Vehicle Driver’s Licence.

 

Mr B was present at the meeting, and confirmed that he had received a copy of the report and understood the procedure to be followed at the meeting.

 

The report to the Sub-Committee explained that Mr B had applied to the Council to renew a combined Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver’s Licence. It was stated that the applicant had held such a licence since 2007.

 

Mr B was registered with the DBS (Disclosure and Baring Service) update service and had provided the Authority with his original certificate. The check revealed that Mr B had a number of convictions, some that had involved violence, which had occurred more than 30 years ago. The report stated that a licence would not normally be granted if an applicant had more than one conviction for an offence of a violent nature. However, Members could depart from the policy if the offence was isolated, and there was mitigating or exceptional circumstances.

 

The Sub-Committee was reminded that in September 2018, the Council adopted a new Taxi Licensing Policy which included the standards that drivers were expected to meet to show they were a fit and proper person. Members noted that Mr B had been licensed with North East Derbyshire since 2007 with the historical offences, and that the recent policy change now placed the applicant outside of the revised policy, and was thus presented to the Sub-Committee for consideration.

 

Members asked the Licensing Officers if Mr B had ever been presented to the Sub-Committee whilst he had been licensed with the Authority. The officers stated that whilst they did not keep a record on who is brought to the Committee, Mr B had no complaints on his record and thus there was no reason to believe that he had. Mr B informed Members that he had never been brought before the Committee at NEDDC.

 

Mr B was asked to explain the historical circumstances in regards to his convictions. The Sub-Committee heard that the offences had been committed over 30 years ago, and that he was deeply embarrassed about them. Mr B stated that he had grown up, and discussed some of the good deeds he had done whilst operating as a taxi driver, one of which included helping a distressed victim of a serious crime.

 

Mr B informed Members that he had previously held a licence at a different Authority, and was granted an initial six month licence, and then subsequently given a full licence. The Sub-Committee heard that he had no complaints registered against him at that Authority. This claim was confirmed by the Licensing Officers as outlined in the report.


The Sub-Committee discussed the application. 

 

Members were reminded that they must  ...  view the full minutes text for item 169.

170.

Matters of Urgency - Closed Session

To consider any other matter which the Chair of the Sub-Committee is of the opinion should be considered as a matter of urgency.

Minutes:

There were not items of urgent business for discussion in the private session.