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Taxi (Private Meeting), Licensing Sub Committee - Tuesday, 20th May, 2025 10.00 am
May 20, 2025 View on council websiteSummary
The Cambridge City Council Licensing Sub Committee convened to discuss taxi licensing matters. The primary item on the agenda was the consideration of a licensed driver's standing with the council. Councillors Hugh Clough, McPherson and Wade were scheduled to be in attendance.
Driver A's Licence
The sub-committee was scheduled to discuss the standing of Driver A as a licensed driver with Cambridge City Council. The report pack included a section on the Licensing Sub-Committee: Taxi Regulatory Hearings Procedure
, which outlines the process for how the council determines whether an applicant for a licence is a fit and proper person to hold one1.
The procedure 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 report pack also details the powers of the council to suspend, revoke or refuse to renew a driver's licence, as outlined in Section 61 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 19762. These powers can be exercised if a driver has been convicted of an offence involving dishonesty, indecency, or violence, or for any other reasonable cause.
The report pack also references the 'Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Enforcement System' used by the Environmental Health Manager, which contains a list of items that may lead the Licensing Sub-Committee to grant, renew, suspend or revoke a licence. These include:
- Previous offences
- Convictions of a sexual nature
- Convictions involving drugs, dishonesty or violence
- Multiple instances of drunkenness
- Driving licence suspensions
- Convictions relating to alcohol and motor vehicles
- Accumulation of points on a DVLA driver's licence
- Offences relating to specific legislation, including the Town Police Clauses Act 18473 and the Equality Act 20104
- Immigration offences
- Failure to complete safeguarding training
- Medical assessments suggesting unfitness to drive
- Intelligence or supplementary information that raises concerns
Exclusion of Press and Public
The committee was scheduled to consider a resolution to exclude the press and public from the meeting, citing paragraphs 1 & 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 19725.
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The
fit and proper person
test is a common legal standard used to determine whether someone is suitable to hold a particular position or license. ↩ -
The Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 is a UK law that includes provisions for the licensing and regulation of taxis and private hire vehicles. ↩
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The Town Police Clauses Act 1847 is an act of Parliament regulating certain aspects of urban governance in the United Kingdom. ↩
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The Equality Act 2010 is a UK law that protects people from discrimination. ↩
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The Local Government Act 1972 is a UK law that defines the structure and functions of local authorities. Schedule 12A outlines exceptions to the general rule that meetings should be open to the public. ↩
Attendees
