The Cornwall Council Miscellaneous Licensing Committee met on Friday 24 July 2026 to consider several applications and reviews related to private hire and hackney carriage licences. The committee made decisions on multiple licence applications and reviews, including refusing one private hire vehicle licence, granting another, refusing a driver's licence application, and revoking several other driver and operator licences due to concerns about public safety and fitness to hold a licence.

Private Hire Vehicle Licence Application Refused

The committee considered an application for a Private Hire Vehicle licence (CV49) that did not meet the council's policy specifications. The vehicle's side-facing rear seats were found to be non-compliant with Condition 3.11 of the council's vehicle specifications, which states that All seating within the vehicle must be forward or rear facing. Despite viewing the vehicle and hearing from the applicant, the committee resolved not to depart from the council's specifications and refused the application. The decision was based on the belief that forward or rear-facing seating is important for customer safety and comfort.

Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence Granted

In contrast, an application for a Hackney Carriage vehicle licence (CV51) was granted after the applicant made adjustments to the vehicle's seats. The Licensing Team Manager confirmed that by placing weights on the seats, they had expanded to meet the council's policy requirements. The committee noted that the vehicle now complied with the council's policy and therefore granted the application.

Driver's Licence Application Refused

The committee refused an application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence for Applicant CD300. The decision was made in the applicant's absence, as they did not attend the meeting despite efforts to contact them. The committee cited a conviction for failing to provide a specimen, which resulted in a 20-month driving disqualification in August 2023, as a primary reason for refusal. The council's policy states that a licence will not be granted until at least seven years have elapsed since the completion of any sentence or driving ban. HR Safeguarding also deemed the applicant unsuitable for a licence at this time. The committee concluded that, based on the evidence, CD300 was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence, citing public safety as an overriding consideration.

Driver's Licence Revoked

The committee resolved to revoke the Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence of CD302 with immediate effect. This decision was made in the driver's absence, as they were on holiday. The committee determined that CD302 was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence due to conduct outlined in the report, which was considered a serious matter. The council's 'Statement of Practices, Procedures and Policy' and 'Guidelines for determining the suitability of applicants and licensees' were taken into account. The committee concluded that they would not allow a person for whom they care to travel alone in a vehicle driven by CD302, emphasizing the importance of protecting the public and public safety.

Vehicle Licences Revoked

In a series of related decisions, the committee revoked Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence CV50, Private Hire Operator Licence C01, and Private Hire Vehicle Licences CV52 – CV95. These revocations were also made in the absence of the licence holders, who were on holiday. The reasons for these decisions were consistent across all three cases, stemming from concerns that the licence holders were not fit and proper persons to hold their respective licences.

Key issues leading to these revocations included:

• Failure to respond to council communications: Licence holders did not respond to letters and officer calls reminding them that their licences were due to expire.
• Driving without a valid licence: Despite their licences expiring, the individuals were seen driving licensed vehicles, which was considered a serious breach of licence conditions and relevant legislation.
• Failure to wear driver's badges: This was noted as a further breach of licence conditions and legislation.
• Concerns about operator responsibilities: For the Private Hire Operator Licence C01 and Private Hire Vehicle Licences CV52 – CV95, the committee expressed extreme concern that an operator responsible for managing other drivers and vehicles, and holding customer details, would allow their own driver's licence to expire and operate in such a manner.
• Previous breaches: For CV52 – CV95, there were also noted previous breaches related to vehicle testing.

In all these cases, the committee considered the Statutory Taxi and Private Hire Vehicle Standards and concluded that they would not permit a vulnerable person to travel alone in a vehicle driven by these individuals. The overriding duty to protect the public and ensure public safety was cited as the primary justification for the revocations.