The Urgent Driver/Operator/Vehicle Sub Committee of Cornwall Council met on Friday 20 March 2026. The meeting was scheduled to consider a report regarding the review of a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence.

Review of Hackney Carriage & Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence - WD225

The committee was scheduled to consider a report from the Licensing Officer concerning an application for the review of a Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Vehicle Driver's Licence for applicant WD225. The report detailed that the driver had previously received a warning letter on 13 January 2026 due to accumulating five penalty points on her driving licence for an offence of exceeding the statutory speed limit on a public road, committed on 22 December 2024. The warning letter stated that any further endorsements, incidents, or offences brought to the Council's attention could result in the speeding offence endorsement being taken into account during any licence review.

Further information presented was related to a Professional Allegations Strategy meeting held on 12 March 2026. This meeting addressed concerns that on 2 March 2026, while transporting three children to school as part of a Council contract, the driver was covertly videoed discussing drug use and sex workers, and using expletive language in conversation with the children. A transcript of this conversation, generated by the children's teacher after the children showed the video to her, was provided. The Council's Passenger Transport Unit had been contacted, and the driver's employer had suspended her from undertaking school contracts. The video was played during the hearing.

The driver attended the meeting and made representations. She admitted that the nature of the conversation was inappropriate and apologised, stating she had let her guard down with the children. She confirmed that her school contract had been suspended, which she considered a form of punishment. The report also noted previous concerns raised in 2023 regarding inappropriate communication between the driver and a young person, where the young person alleged the driver took drugs. The police investigated this matter and concluded there was no evidence of an offence. The driver had responded to this allegation, stating the conversation was not about drugs but about giving a young person a can of coke.

The committee was scheduled to consider the Council's policy on the licensing of taxi drivers, specifically the section on 'Behaviours', which indicates that inappropriate conversations may result in a warning letter, and repeated instances could lead to a licence not being issued. The report highlighted that warnings had already been issued to the driver for speeding and previous concerns about inappropriate conversations. The report indicated that the members were to consider whether the evidence showed this was a one-off incident and whether the driver showed remorse and accepted her conduct was inappropriate. The report also stated that the members were reminded that the driver's personal circumstances were not relevant to the assessment of what action to take. The report recommended that it was reasonable and proportionate to issue the driver with a suspension pursuant to section 61(1)(b) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976¹ for a period of three months.