The Hackney Carriage/Private Hire Vehicle Sub Committee (Licensing Sub Committee) met to consider the standing of a licensed driver with Cambridge City Council. The committee was also scheduled to discuss excluding the press and public from the meeting.

Driver A's Licence

The sub-committee was scheduled to discuss a report regarding a driver, referred to as Driver A, and their standing as a licensed driver with Cambridge City Council.

The report pack included the Licensing Sub-Committee: Taxi Regulatory Hearings Procedure, which states that the sub-committee may decide whether an applicant for a licence is a fit and proper person to hold a licence. The procedure also states that:

Following investigation and where the Officer considers it appropriate to do so, the Officer will prepare a report for the Sub-Committee setting out the following:

• the relevant law, Council policy and the powers of the Sub-Committee;
• the information obtained as a result of the investigation and the source of that information;
• any matters in dispute.

The report pack also included an appendix detailing the powers the council has to suspend, revoke, or refuse to renew a vehicle or driver's licence, according to the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976¹. The report pack states that specific consideration will be given to items contained under 'Level 3 Enforcement' of the 'Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Enforcement System' by the Environmental Health Manager. These items include, but are not limited to:

• If a licence holder has committed an action covered in Levels 1 and 2 where they have been interviewed by an officer of the Commercial & Licensing Team in the previous 12 month period and a final written warning has been given.
• If the licence holder or licence applicant has been convicted of any offence of a sexual nature which is not spent under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974[^3]. [^3]: The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that allows some criminal convictions to become spent, or ignored, after a rehabilitation period.
• If the licence holder or licence applicant is found to be living or working in the UK without the required authorisation, or if they have committed any offences arising from Asylum & Immigration matters.
• If the licence holder or licence applicant fails the initial or refresher safeguarding training test paper on three occasions or fails to complete the training as required by the Council.
• Upon the application for or the duration of a licence, if there is intelligence, supplementary information or any other reasonable cause where officers have concerns about the grant or the continuation of a licence.

Exclusion of Press and Public

The committee was scheduled to consider a recommendation to exclude the press and public from the meeting, referencing paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972².