The Licensing Committee of Middlesbrough Council met on Monday 22 June 2026 to consider several applications and reviews related to Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle driver licences. The committee made decisions on multiple licence applications and reviews, revoking several licences due to concerns about driver conduct, dishonesty, and public safety.

Review of Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence - Ref: 09/26

The committee reviewed the Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence of an individual following a complaint that raised safeguarding concerns. The complaint detailed allegations of racist, offensive, and abusive language, derogatory comments about the public, mocking of a vulnerable child, and inappropriate comments of a sexual nature made by the driver during home-to-school transport journeys. After considering the evidence, including witness statements and the driver's responses, the committee decided to revoke the driver's licence with immediate effect due to concerns for public safety. The decision was based on the grounds of any other reasonable cause, citing the driver's behaviour as substantiated and his credibility being called into question.

Application for Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence Renewal - Ref: 17/26

An application to renew a Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence for a wheelchair-accessible vehicle was considered. The vehicle was nearing the council's 12-year age limit for such vehicles. The applicant highlighted that neighbouring authorities, such as Stockton Council, did not impose age limits on wheelchair-accessible vehicles and that there was a declining number of such vehicles licensed in Middlesbrough. The committee decided to grant a one-year renewal of the licence, subject to the condition that the vehicle undergoes testing three times a year at four-monthly intervals. This decision was made to support the provision of wheelchair-accessible transport while the council reviews its taxi licensing policies, including the age restriction for these vehicles.

Review of Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence - Ref: 10/26

The committee reviewed a Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence following a complaint from a licensed Private Hire Operator regarding the driver's conduct. The driver failed to attend the hearing despite numerous attempts by officers to contact him. The complaints included instances of dishonesty, such as failing to pay for fuel and falsely claiming to have transported a child to school. There were also complaints regarding unsafe driving, including speeding, harsh braking, and aggressive behaviour towards other road users. The committee proceeded with the review in the driver's absence and unanimously decided to revoke his licence with immediate effect due to dishonesty and unsafe driving, deeming it a significant risk to public safety.

Application for Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence - Ref: 08/26

An application for a Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence was refused. The applicant had a conviction for using a mobile phone while driving, for which he received a fine and six penalty points. Crucially, the applicant failed to declare this conviction on his application form. The committee considered this failure to declare a serious matter, directly impacting the applicant's trustworthiness. Furthermore, the Middlesbrough Council Private Hire and Hackney Carriage Policy 2022¹ and Department of Transport Statutory Standards² stipulate that a licence would not be granted until at least five years had elapsed since such a conviction. The committee was not satisfied that the applicant was a fit and proper person to hold a licence.

Application for Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence - Ref: 12/26

The committee refused an application for a Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence due to a police caution for battery received by the applicant. The applicant had failed to declare this caution on his application form. The council's policy treats cautions as convictions for licensing purposes, and the policy states that a licence would normally be refused for offences of violence against the person until at least ten years had elapsed since the completion of any sentence. The committee found the applicant's claim of not being aware of the caution to be not credible, as a caution requires admission of guilt and understanding of its implications. The committee concluded the applicant was not a fit and proper person to be licensed.

Application for Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence - Ref: 13/26

An application for a Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence was refused due to a history of convictions, including drink-driving, drug offences (possession and possession with intent to supply), and more recent speeding offences. While the applicant had not been convicted of any offences for over 14 years since the expiration of a suspended sentence, the committee noted that the applicant had failed to declare his two most recent speeding offences on his application form. The committee considered the seriousness of the past drug offences, the prevalence of drug-related crime in Middlesbrough, and the applicant's failure to declare convictions, concluding he was not a fit and proper person to be licensed.

Application to Renew Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence - Ref: 15/26

The committee refused to renew a Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence due to a conviction for using a vehicle uninsured against third-party risks (IN10 offence). The applicant received six penalty points for this offence. The applicant also failed to notify the council of this conviction within the required 48 hours, failed to inform the council of a change of address, and drove a licensed Private Hire Vehicle without the rear licence plate correctly displayed. The committee considered driving uninsured, particularly in a licensed Private Hire Vehicle, to be a serious matter and a disregard for safety. The failure to report the conviction and change of address were also seen as breaches of licence conditions.

Review of Combined Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence - Ref: 07/26

The committee reviewed a Combined Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver Licence due to a significant history of driving offences, including multiple speeding convictions and drink-driving offences. The driver had also failed to declare a speeding conviction on his licence renewal application and failed to report subsequent speeding convictions within the required timeframe. The committee noted the driver's disregard for safety and his propensity to reoffend, as evidenced by his continued convictions despite completing a Driver Improvement Scheme. The committee revoked the licence with immediate effect, citing a significant risk to public safety.