The report of the Head of Planning, Building Control and Licensing is enclosed.

The Hearing Panel considered the content of the report and the written and oral representations made by the Licensing Unit officer and NAAA.

The Licensing Unit officer addressed the Hearing Panel, noting that this was a new application that NAAA had disclosed a number of convictions on, including driving a vehicle with excess alcohol that brought an 18-month disqualification, alongside a conviction for driving whilst disqualified that brought a 42-month disqualification. NAAA’s DBS confirmed those convictions. The Licensing Unit officer noted that NAAA’s DVLA license was reissued in October 2022, but the convictions still fell within the guidelines.

NAAA stated that they were eligible for their DVLA license from 5 October 2021 but did not receive it until April/May 2022, with them having insurance from October 2022. This was confirmed by an insurance document provided by NAAA.

NAAA addressed the Hearing Panel, noting that the dates of the offences listed were well before the conviction dates. NAAA noted that the various convictions had made it difficult for them to get work, learning a lesson through their own naivety. NAAA stated they had suffered a lot due to the convictions. NAAA now had a young baby and wanted a taxi license as a financial top-up to their full-time employment. They noted they had worked hard over the years to turn their life around and regretted their past actions.

The Licensing Unit officer noted that NAAA had a poor driving record and was interested to hear their explanation. NAAA accepted that they had driven under the influence of alcohol, but they did not see the people who were around him at the time anymore. NAAA stated they were now teetotal. NAAA accepted they have driven whilst disqualified and was stopped by the police. NAAA understood concerns relating to previous dishonesty but stated that they would not be dishonest with customers and would not do anything to risk their license.

Under questions from the panel, NAAA stated that their job was now working in a call centre. NAAA noted that they now do volunteering work for a charity that works with disabled children, showing their experience of working with vulnerable people. NAAA was living in a hotel, organised by their local authority, due to currently being homeless.

The Licensing Unit officer had nothing to add when invited to sum up.

NAAA summed up by stating that they had turned their life around. They had been working hard and stated they would not commit further offences. They regretted their actions.

In their deliberations, the Hearing Panel took into consideration the Statement of Policy and Guidelines as well as the relevant statutory guidance. The panel noted that NAAA had their DVLA license back with no further issues. They noted that there had been a significant period of rehabilitation for NAAA and felt that they had turned their life around. For those reasons, the panel felt that they could depart from their guidelines but felt that the seriousness of NAAA’s convictions meant that a warning should be attached to their license.

Decision

To issue the Private Hire Driver Licence with a warning attached as to future conduct.