FIT AND PROPER
BATH TAXI FIRM BOSS LOSES LICENCE AFTER FAILING TO PAY DRIVER FOR MORE THAN A YEAR
A Bath taxi firm boss has lost his licence after allegedly failing to pay a driver for more than a year. According to SomersetLive, Bath and North East Somerset Council’s licens- ing subcommittee heard that the man - unnamed in official minutes - was taken to court and ordered to pay the £8,405 he owed, plus £410 in costs. The licensee claimed he had already paid in cash and the complainant was trying to get a lump sum from him. He said he had not received the invoices until the court judgment came through and he was trying to challenge it.
The licensee told councillors: “Ask yourself a few questions: if you are being paid monthly could you afford to stop being paid for a 15-month period? “Would you continue working if you were not getting paid? How could you afford to keep your vehicle on the road during this period?” He said he had paid the complainant in cash but also that he did not pay him because the invoices did not set out sufficient detail and included charges for school holiday periods. Councillors spotted the contradiction, and also saw evidence the complainant
had submitted invoices and chased payments. The minutes from the hearing say: “Members take a dim view of such con- duct which deprives a person of payment for their work when the license holder has themselves been paid and consider such action serious. “This was a lengthy breach of over a year of his private hire operator’s licence.
“Members found the licence holder is not fit to operate a private hire opera- tor’s licence and has undermined the public trust in the system.”
REMORSEFUL ALLOA CABBIE KEEPS HIS LICENCE AFTER COLLISION WITH CYCLIST
A Clackmannanshire taxi driver who has shown remorse and followed every procedure after a low-speed collision with a cyclist has last week seen his licence renewed. The Alloa Advertiser reports that David Lee appeared at a recent Clackman- nanshire Council Regulatory Committee, seeking to renew his taxi driver’s licence. The case went in front of a panel of councillors as Mr Lee was involved in a "very low speed" collision with a cyclist in Alloa while ferrying a fare paying passenger. According to the narrative given to the committee, the incident occurred around a year ago at 11.20am on September 22 and resulted in the cyclist fracturing their wrist. In subsequent court proceedings, Mr Lee pleaded guilty to a careless driving offence, incurring a fine of £100 and three points on his driving licence. The committee heard the incident appears to have occurred as a result of a momentary lapse in concentration and that the applicant has no other
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convictions. A Police Scotland sergeant present at the meeting confirmed the force reviewed the application and had no objections. Representing himself, Mr Lee told the committee that this was an “unfortu- nate incident” and a “complete accident” due to a “momentary slip in concentration”.
He said: “I pulled out slowly and he's collided with my back door and unfor- tunately – it wasn't fast but the way he fell – he's fractured his wrist. “It was really not a nice moment, obvi- ously, but I was out there, helped him as much as I could, went through the proper procedure, it wasn't a very good moment for myself. “Never been there before, 18 years, never had anything like this. “But, I believe that I'm a pretty good driver generally, it was very much a [lapse] in concentration, which I put my hands up to and I apologised.” The taxi driver added that he now pays more attention to cyclists. He was required to notify the local
authority upon being charged and con- victed and while elected members would often deliberate cases in private before announcing an outcome, coun- cillors did not feel it was necessary in this instance. Councillor Chris Dixon said: “What strikes me in this case is that the appli- cant has done everything required of him at every stage and from [the civil licensing standards officer’s] report there: more than [what was required]. “And so, I don't have any doubts as to whether this is a fit and proper person and I'd move that the application be granted.” Cllr Kenny Earle concurred. He said: “I think Mr Lee has shown con- trition for the accident, it was a momentary lapse in concentration, he has followed the correct and proper procedures, more so than any applicant that's come before the committee in all the time that I've been on the commit- tee. I have absolutely no reason to object to this application.” Indeed, the renewal of Mr Lee's licence was unanimously agreed.
NOVEMBER 2021
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