Taxi driver with nine points has taxi licence refused

Fenland District Council said the driver had failed to notify previous licensing authorities of his penalty points ‘on several occasions’

A taxi driver who gained nine penalty points in a “short period of time” has had his taxi licence refused. Fenland District Council’s licensing sub-committee said they were “naturally concerned” by this when considering the application for a new private hire licence.

The driver has not been named as the press and public were excluded from the meeting but the council have released minutes explaining their reasons behind their decision.

He told the sub-committee “that he had previously received penalty points, but these had fallen away”.

He admitted that “on several occasions” he had failed to let a different licensing authority know he had received penalty points, breaching the requirements of his private hire licence.

The sub-committee said they sympathised with his circumstances at the time, but “could not be sure” he would let Fenland Council know about penalty points, or other matters, in the future if they granted his application.

They said their own policy states a private hire licence can be given to a driver with penalty points – but it is left to the sub-committee’s discretion.

They concluded that he was “not fit and proper to hold a licence” and refused his request.