The Licensing Panel of North Northamptonshire Council met on Thursday 15 January 2026 and refused an application for a private hire driver licence. The decision was made after considering the applicant's fitness to hold the licence, taking into account undisclosed convictions.

Consideration of Private Hire Driver Licence Application

The panel considered whether an individual, referred to as MS, was a fit and proper person to hold a private hire driver licence. The decision was made to refuse the application.

The panel reviewed the facts presented in a report by the Assistant Director, along with representations and answers provided by the applicant. They specifically examined the applicant's fitness against sections 5.4.2 and 5.11 of The North Northamptonshire Council Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy.

The reasons for the refusal centred on the applicant's failure to disclose convictions for offences that the panel deemed serious. The panel stated, The role of a licensed driver is a serious responsibility and the panel considers that applicants should fully understand and be responsible for the information within their applications and that failure to do this is a serious consideration for the fit and proper person test. They further noted that The applicant had failed to provide information about the convictions that have been revealed which are offences that the panel consider to be serious matters.

The meeting was attended by Councillors D McLean, P Brooke, and L Robinson. Officers present included Rita Groves (Licensing Officer), Maddy Homer (Legal Adviser), Carol Mundy (Governance Officer), and Emma Robinson (Administrative Assistant). Councillor McLean was appointed as the Chair for the meeting. No apologies for absence or declarations of interest were made by the members.

The full details of the decisions made can be found in the Decisions 15th-Jan-2026 11.30 Licensing Panel.pdf. The agenda for the meeting was available in the Agenda frontsheet 15th-Jan-2026 11.30 Licensing Panel.pdf, and the public reports pack can be accessed via the Public reports pack 15th-Jan-2026 11.30 Licensing Panel.pdf. The minutes of the meeting are available in the Printed minutes 15th-Jan-2026 11.30 Licensing Panel.pdf.