The Urgent Driver/Operator/Vehicle Sub Committee of Cornwall Council met on Friday 20 March 2026 to review a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence. The committee decided to suspend the licence of driver WD225 for three months.

Review of Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence - WD225

The committee reviewed the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence for applicant WD225. The decision was made to suspend the licence for three months. This decision was reached after considering a report from the Licensing Officer, evidence presented, and the council's procedure for hearings.

The driver, WD225, was granted her current licence on 25 November 2025, which is due to expire on 24 November 2028. She had previously received a warning letter on 13 January 2026 regarding five penalty points on her driving licence, accrued from a conviction for exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road on 9 December 2025, committed on 22 December 2024. The warning letter stated that any further endorsements, incidents, or offences could lead to the speeding endorsement being taken into account during a licence review.

Further concerns arose on 12 March 2026, when the council's Licensing Service attended a Professional Allegations Strategy meeting concerning WD225. It was reported that while transporting three children to school on 2 March 2026 under a council contract, one of the children covertly videoed the driver inappropriately discussing drug use, sex workers, and using expletive language with the children. A transcript of this conversation, generated by the children's teacher after the children showed the video, was reviewed by the committee. The video was played during the hearing.

WD225 attended the meeting and admitted that the conversation was inappropriate, apologising for her behaviour and stating she had let her guard down with the children. She explained that the recording began after one of the children asked her about visiting Amsterdam. The committee expressed concerns about why the recording was initiated and whether such conversations had occurred previously, particularly given that the children were attending Alternative Provision¹.

The driver confirmed that her school contract had been suspended by the Passenger Transport Unit, preventing her from undertaking that work. She accepted this as a form of punishment and did not expect to regain the contract. She presented a letter from her employer's Operation & Business Development Manager, which warned her that such conduct would not be tolerated but also stated she was an employee of good standing.

The committee also noted that concerns had been raised in 2023 regarding inappropriate communication between the driver and a young person in her taxi, where the young person alleged the driver took drugs. Police investigations at the time found no evidence of an offence, and the driver responded that the conversation was not about drugs but about giving a young person a can of coke.

The committee considered the council's policy on the licensing of taxi drivers, specifically the section on 'Behaviours'. They noted that inappropriate conversations could result in a warning letter, and repetition could lead to a licence not being issued. Given the previous warning for speeding and concerns about inappropriate conversations, the committee found that the evidence, on balance, suggested this was a one-off incident. They acknowledged the driver's remorse and acceptance of her inappropriate conduct, as well as her pride in her work.

However, the committee deemed it important to demonstrate the seriousness with which the council treats such situations and the expectation of high standards of conduct from drivers. They reminded themselves that the driver's personal financial circumstances were not relevant to their decision. Consequently, the committee considered a three-month suspension, effective 21 days from the date of notice, to be a reasonable and proportionate measure to punish the driver and deter future misconduct. This suspension was issued pursuant to section 61(1)(b) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.