The Miscellaneous Licensing Committee of Cornwall Council met on Friday 23 January 2026 to consider a range of applications and reviews for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle licences. The committee made decisions on several driver and vehicle licences, including granting, refusing, and revoking licences based on applicant conduct and adherence to council policies.

Driver and Vehicle Licence Applications and Reviews

The committee considered numerous applications for Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licences and reviews of existing licences.

Applications Granted:

• Applicant WD214: The committee granted the application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence. The decision was made after considering the applicant's report, HR Safeguarding's recommendation, and hearing from WD214. Despite a previous caution, the committee felt that, on balance, WD214 was a fit and proper person to hold the licence.
• Applicant WD215: The application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence was granted. The committee noted that HR Safeguarding had no concerns and heard from WD215 and their employer. While acknowledging five previous convictions between 2018 and 2020, the committee decided to depart from guidelines, considering WD215's changed circumstances and deeming them a fit and proper person.
• Applicant CD288: The application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence was granted. The committee noted CD288's attendance after a previous adjournment and heard their case regarding allegations. After reviewing updated information from Plymouth City Council, the committee concluded that CD288 was a fit and proper person to hold the licence.
• Applicant CD289: The committee granted the application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence. The decision was based on a review of the applicant's medical report and additional information, which satisfied the committee that CD289 met the DVLA Group 2 medical standards.
• Applicant E1D190: The application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence was granted. The committee noted that this was a renewal application following a previous refusal. Despite some points on E1D190's driving licence, the committee felt it was appropriate to depart from policy and grant the licence, considering E1D190 to be a fit and proper person.

Applications Refused:

• Applicant CD291: The application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence was refused. The committee noted that CD291 had been disqualified from driving for six months due to a totting-up procedure¹. The committee decided not to depart from their guidelines, which state that a licence will not be granted for five years from the date of disqualification in such cases, and therefore did not consider CD291 to be a fit and proper person.

Applications Deferred:

• Applicant CD292: The decision on the application for a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence was deferred. The committee required further medical information from the applicant's GP surgery to confirm that their medical condition met the Group 2 Medical Standards. The matter will be brought back to a future committee meeting once this information is obtained.

Licence Reviews and Revocations:

• WD216 (Driver's Licence): The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence for WD216 was revoked with immediate effect. The committee found that WD216 had permitted a licensed vehicle to be used by another individual for personal purposes, which was considered a potential criminal offence. WD216 also failed to attend a PACE interview and the committee hearing, leading the committee to conclude that WD216 was not a fit and proper person to hold the licence, necessitating revocation in the interest of public safety.
• WV169 (Vehicle Licence): The Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence for WV169 was revoked. Similar to the WD216 case, the committee determined that the holder had permitted a licensed vehicle to be used by another individual for personal purposes. The holder also failed to attend a PACE interview and the committee hearing, leading to the conclusion that they were not a fit and proper person to hold the licence.
• E1D217 (Driver's Licence): The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence for E1D217 was revoked with immediate effect. The committee found that E1D217 had behaved in a manner that demonstrated they were not a fit and proper person to be a licensed driver on a number of occasions. Despite attending a PACE interview and hearing from E1D217 and their father, the committee concluded that revocation was necessary for public safety.
• EV21 (Vehicle Licence): The Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence for EV21 was revoked. The committee found that the holder had behaved in a manner that showed they were not a fit and proper person to hold a licence. The holder attended a PACE interview and heard from their father and the licence holder, but the committee determined that revocation was the appropriate action for public safety.
• E1D218 (Driver's Licence): The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence for E1D218 was revoked with immediate effect. The committee noted that E1D218 had seemingly made an illegal tobacco sale to a Cornwall Council officer during a test purchase operation. Although E1D218 admitted to selling tobacco, claiming it was a one-off, the committee concluded that this conduct made them not a fit and proper person to hold a licence, and revocation was necessary for public safety.
• EV22 (Vehicle Licence): The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Licence for EV22 was revoked. Similar to the E1D218 case, the committee found that the holder had seemingly made an illegal tobacco sale to a Cornwall Council officer during a test purchase operation. The holder admitted to the sale but described it as a one-off. The committee determined that this conduct made the holder not a fit and proper person to hold a licence, and revocation was necessary for public safety.
• CD293 (Driver's Licence): The Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence for CD293 was revoked with immediate effect. The committee noted recent convictions for violence and criminal damage, and that CD293 had failed to notify the council of these offences or surrender their badge when requested. Despite CD293 requesting a deferral, the committee deemed it inappropriate due to the nature of the offences and the need to protect the public. HR Safeguarding had also determined that CD293 was not appropriate to be a licensed driver.

Renewals Granted:

• Applicant W2D192: The application for the renewal of a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence was granted. The committee noted previous warnings but attached no weight to them as they were some time ago. While W2D192 had a conviction for possession of an offensive weapon in 2023, the committee accepted that there had been no issues with conduct since then and decided to depart from their policy, granting the licence as they considered W2D192 to be a fit and proper person.
• Applicant W2V78: The application for the renewal of a Hackney Carriage Vehicle Licence was granted. Similar to W2D192, the committee noted previous warnings and a 2023 conviction for possession of an offensive weapon. They decided to depart from their policy, considering the applicant's conduct since the conviction and deeming them a fit and proper person to hold the licence.

Other Business:

The committee also confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting held on 5 December 2025. They also noted the emergency evacuation and domestic procedures. There were no declarations of interest made by committee members.