The Licensing Panel of North Northamptonshire Council met on Thursday 26 February 2026 and resolved to revoke a dual Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver Licence. This decision was made after considering the fitness of an individual to continue holding the licence, following an incident where the driver was found to be using a mobile phone while transporting children.

Consideration of Driver Fitness

The panel, comprising Councillors D McLean, P Brooke, and L Duffy, considered the fitness of an individual to continue holding a dual Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Driver Licence. The meeting, held in the Council Chamber at Swanspool House, Wellingborough, NN8 1BP, heard that the licence holder had been found using his mobile phone while driving four children to school, with no chaperone present. Photographic and video evidence of the offence had been provided by West Northamptonshire School Transport, and the driver's contract with the operator had subsequently been terminated.

The driver admitted to the offence when interviewed by the licensing officer and apologised for his lack of judgment. He assured the panel that he would no longer carry his telephone inside a vehicle and would under no circumstances use a phone again whilst driving. He confirmed that he was still driving but not on school transport, and had previously worked as a delivery driver.

Following deliberation, the panel resolved to revoke the dual licence with immediate effect. The reasons cited for this decision were that the use of a mobile phone whilst driving is considered a very serious offence, particularly when transporting children, and poses a significant risk to public safety. The panel concluded that the licence holder was not a fit and proper person to be licensed. A decision notice detailing the revocation and the driver's right to appeal to the Magistrate's Court within five days will be issued.

The meeting was attended by Maddy Homer (Legal Adviser), Rita Grove (Licensing Officer), Carol Mundy (Governance Officer), Emma Robinson (Administrative Assistant), and Nick Davis (Legal Assistant). The proceedings were conducted under the Local Government Act 1972, with parts of the discussion held in private due to the confidential nature of the report. The full details of the meeting and the decisions made can be found in the Printed minutes 26th-Feb-2026 12.00 Licensing Panel.