DISGRUNTLED CABBIE BRACKNELL HC DRIVER STRUGGLES TO RENEW LICENCE
“Hi Manoj Thank you for this confirmation.
We will require a Certificate Of Good Conduct for the period you lived in Mozambique from the age of 10 until 1985 and also for the period you lived in Portugal from 1985 to July 1989.”
Dear PHTM
I have been a licensed taxi driver with Bracknell Forest for 25 years and I am also the Chairman of Bracknell Hackney Association. I wanted to follow up on a previous point regarding Bracknell Forest Council’s taxi policy requirement for drivers to provide a Certificate of Good Conduct (COC) if they have spent more than three months outside the UK from the AGE OF 10. I believe other councils are requesting a COC from the ages of 16 or 18.
This requirement has now affected my renewal process, as my driver licence badge expired at the end of November. I submitted my application on 30 October. In my response, I explained that I lived in Mozambique during my childhood with my parents, who decided to leave the country due to safety concerns.
Comment by Dave Lawrie, Director of NPHTA
Overseas COC has always been a necessary and sensible licensing requirement for all new applications for drivers born abroad, and on renewal for any driver that has spent three or more months living outside the UK during their most recent three-year licensing period.
However, new government statutory guidance has caused some confusion. Councils now require a COC from all countries where a driver has been resident for over three months continuously for ALL driver licence applications including renewals. However, there is no national standardisation on timescale; some councils ask for COCs from the age of 18, others, as in this case, are asking from the ridiculously young age of 10.
Whilst the NPHTA has no wish to undermine public safety and fully understands how vital it is to check drivers for historic and/or current criminal offences, we
I shared my situation at the Licensing & Safety Com- mittee meeting on 24 October, as I believe the policy should be reviewed to make it more practical & reason- able. I also reached out to the Mozambique Embassy, explaining my situation - that I am Portuguese and was only a child at the time. They confirmed that a certificate of good conduct cannot be issued from that age, especially as I am not a Mozambican citizen. They emphasised that such a certificate is impossible to obtain and cannot verify my conduct from so long ago.
It feels as though this policy unintentionally discriminates against drivers born outside the UK. There are other drivers in similar situations, facing unnecessary stress when trying to renew their licences. Instead of this added pressure, drivers could benefit from more support from licensing authorities, especially given the mandatory courses we already complete every three years, such as safeguarding and awareness.
How can we better inform the relevant bodies about the challenges we are facing with this policy? It would be great if we could find a solution that is fair and supportive of drivers in these situations.
Thank you for your understanding and help. Best regards Manoj
believe this updated criteria is causing unnecessary problems in some areas of the country for drivers who have a long-standing record of being ‘fit and proper.’
It is pointless and costly to request the same overseas background checks to be repeated every time a licence is renewed, bearing in mind a new DBS is not required for the same period as most drivers are now registered for the DBS update service.
Furthermore, is it fair that long-term licensed drivers who have not left the UK for more than three months in their latest licensing period should be required to obtain COCs from when they were children? Can we realistically expect these countries to agree or even be able to issue a document from such a long time ago?
In our view this requirement is simply illogical, it serves no purpose, and it will have zero impact on public safety.
As we were going to press Manoj has had confirmation that his licence has been renewed and he is now pushing Bracknell council to change the COC age to 18 in line with other councils’ policies which will be discussed at the licensing and safety meeting on 19 December.
46 DECEMBER 2024 PHTM
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