Issue - meetings

A report by the Assistant Director (Localities) is attached.

The Licensing Unit Manager presented a report submitted by the Assistant Director (Localities) regarding applications for Public/Private Hire Vehicles Drivers’ Licences.

The Applicants were invited to attend the meeting for separate hearings and the Chair outlined the procedure to be followed.  The Applicants were invited to address the Panel separately on their applications and any matters referred to in the Officer’s report. 

1.   Applicant 20/2017 attended the meeting and was represented by his solicitor Mr Ahmed and accompanied by a friend.  The Applicant accepted the report which explained that he had previously appeared before the Licensing and Safety Panel on 3 September 2015 and had been refused a private hire driver licence. The Applicant had appealed the decision to the Magistrates’ Court, but the appeal had been

dismissed and the Applicant was ordered to pay the Council’s costs of £650.

The report went on to explain that the Applicant had previously held a private hire drivers licence. In June 2015 checks revealed that he had been convicted of theft on 9 August 2012 at Bury and Rochdale Magistrates’ Court, for which he had been fined £100 with costs of £150 and a victim surcharge of £15. The Applicant, as a Licence Holder at that time failed to disclose the conviction both at the time it was received and upon subsequent renewals of his licence.

Mr Ahmed explained that the Applicant had been with a friend in a pub in Bury and his friend had accessed the gambling machine and stolen the money from it.  The Police had viewed CCTV footage from the evening and the Applicant had been identified.  The Police had visited him the week after for information on who had been responsible for the theft but he had refused to disclose the identity of his friend.  However, both were subsequently identified following a police investigation and both were charged with theft and appeared before Bury and Rochdale Magistrates’ Court.  The Applicant entered a guilty plea. 

In relation to the issue of failing to declare the conviction, Mr Ahmed explained that he thought it was a minor offence for which he had received a fine and therefore did not need to declare it. In addition, Mr Ahmed explained that the Applicant was dyslexic and struggled to complete forms and had been very depressed and stressed about the conviction, had no issues since the conviction and had a clean driving licence. 

The Applicant then addressed the Panel and explained that he was an honest person and had made a mistake.  He no longer drinks and wants to provide for his family financially.  Although he had made a mistake in the past he was now focusing on the future. The Applicant explained that he was very sorry, could not change the past and wanted to look forward. He stated that he is currently working for a PPI company and had learnt so much to do with technology since starting there in February 2016, however, he was not suited to office work  ...  view the full minutes text for item 139