This meeting of the Cambridge City Council Licensing Sub Committee was scheduled to consider an application for a dual driver licence, and to decide whether to exclude the press and public from the meeting. Councillor Immy Blackburn-Horgan and Councillor Rosy Moore were scheduled to be in attendance.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee was scheduled to consider a recommendation to exclude the press and public from the meeting. The reason cited for this recommendation is paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972¹.

Application for Dual Driver Licence

The sub-committee was scheduled to consider an application for a dual driver licence with Cambridge City Council for Driver A.

The report pack includes a section on the procedure for taxi application hearings, which states that:

Where the Officer considers that the Taxi Regulatory Sub-Committee should decide whether an applicant for a licence is a fit and proper person to hold the licence for which she/he has applied, the Officer will refer the matter to the Sub-Committee.

The procedure outlines the preparation of a report by an officer, investigations conducted by the Environmental Health Manager, and the process for the hearing itself. This includes inviting the driver and witnesses to the hearing, presenting evidence, and allowing all parties to ask questions. The sub-committee may then consider their decision in private, and the driver will be notified of the decision in writing, along with their right to appeal to the Magistrates Court.

The report pack also references sections 60 and 61 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976², which detail the grounds on which the council can suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a vehicle or driver's licence. These grounds include:

• the vehicle being unfit
• offences or non-compliance with relevant acts
• convictions involving dishonesty, indecency, or violence
• immigration offences
• any other reasonable cause

The report pack also lists specific items under 'Level 3 Enforcement' of the 'Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Enforcement System' that would be considered. These include instances where a licence holder:

• has committed actions covered in Levels 1 and 2 and received a final written warning
• has been convicted of offences of a sexual nature, or involving drugs, dishonesty, or violence
• has been convicted of multiple offences of drunkenness
• has a DVLA driver’s licence for less than 2 years after suspension
• has been convicted of offences relating to alcohol and motor vehicles
• has accumulated a certain number of points on their DVLA driver’s licence
• has convictions relating to specific acts such as the Town Police Clauses Act 1847³, the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976, the Transport Act 1980⁴, the Health Act 2006⁵, and the Equality Act 2010⁶
• is living or working in the UK without authorisation
• fails safeguarding training
• presents a medical assessment but does not declare themselves unfit to drive
• raises concerns due to intelligence, supplementary information, or any other reasonable cause