Concerns raised over taxi licences

Councillor Stephen Reynolds said he was concerned similar situations could occur in the new approval regime for mobile home site owners, and asked how often their “fit and proper person” certification would be reassessed.

Telford and Wrekin Public Protection manager Anita Hunt assured Cllr Reynolds that taxi driver licences are reviewed twice a year, and said the mobile home manager certificates would last five years and involve a full assessment on re-application. Information from sources like the police would be considered in the meantime, she added.

The Licensing Committee approved the test policy. Owners, or other nominated site managers, now have four months to apply.

A report by Ms Hunt said new regulations introduced last year “set out that a site owner must make an application to the council between July 1 and October 31 for a relevant person to be assessed as a fit and proper person”.

Local authorities have to consider the applicants’ suitability, taking into account their compliance history, criminal records and financial solvency, among other factors.

She told the committee there are eight residential mobile home sites that would be affected by the new test within the borough.

Cllr Reynolds said: “Once a licence has been granted, how soon can that site be reviewed? What I’m thinking is, if any offences have been made after the licence has been taken out, we wouldn’t be able to pick that up unless there was a review of that licence.”

Ms Hunt pointed out that the certification process includes a basic Disclosure and Barring Service check.

This – unlike the “enhanced” version used for some professions, including taxi driving – does not look at “spent” convictions, historic minor offences that received a low-level penalty and usually no longer have to be declared.

“We can review the licence if we have a complaint or information comes to our attention,” she said, adding that holders were also expected to notify the council of changes in their circumstances within the five-year term.

Cllr Reynolds said: “We have had incidents, certainly with the taxis, where an offence has taken place just after the licence has been given out. Therefore, they should have told us they had committed some sort of driving offence, or whatever the offence was, that would basically have stopped them from having the licence in the first place.”

Councillor Jacqui Seymour asked how the council would check the veracity and completeness of the information applicants provided.

Quoting the phrase “evidence of harassing behaviour” from the policy, she said: “So much of this is hearsay, and maybe people have been pressurised and have never made a formal complaint.

“It’s going to be very difficult to follow up on that.”

Ms Hunt said records of “previous substantiated harassment complaints” that may have fallen short of a criminal conviction would be consulted.

The policy says: “Such complaints may identify further potential risks and provide an indication of potential underlying problems with the management of the site or the site owner’s lack of experience or skills in dealing with customers.”

Ms Hunt added that the council would actively check some publicly-available information, like Companies House records.