FIT AND PROPER
OXFORDSHIRE MAN CONVICTED OF WORKING AS UNLICENSED PRIVATE HIRE DRIVER
A man has been ordered to pay over £1,000 after he unlawfully continued working as a PH driver despite being refused a new licence due to speeding offences. On August 26, Christopher Meads, 62, from East Challow, pleaded guilty at Oxford Magistrates’ Court to knowingly using his vehicle for private hire and acting as a private hire driver while not licensed to do so. In court, the magistrates heard how in August 2020, following the speeding offences, Vale of White
Horse District Council had deemed Mr Meads to no longer be a ‘fit and proper’ person to hold a joint hackney
carriage/private hire
driver’s licence and had refused his licence renewal application. However, in November 2021 the Vale’s Licensing Team received complaints that Mr Meads had been spotted picking up passengers. CCTV, showed the vehicle still displaying its taxi roof sign and a council-issued licence plate, giving the impression it was a licensed vehicle.
Further searches revealed the same vehicle had been caught on camera across Oxfordshire, and Berkshire between August and December 2021. Mr Meads was also offering his services via an advert in a local newsletter, and this was confirmed when an investigating officer phoned the number. In court, magistrates accepted Mr Meads’ early guilty
plea and
imposed a total fine of £500 and ordered him to pay £475 costs and a victim surcharge of £50 - totalling £1,025.
WORCESTER TAXI DRIVERS FINED FOR IMPROPER PARKING ON FOREGATE STREET IN CITY CENTRE
Worcester cabbies have received fines for offences related to improper parking on Foregate Street in the city centre. Taxi drivers on Foregate Street were recently highlighted in a video shared by a cyclist on social media, showing parking on double yellow lines, mounting the kerb and overhanging into bus stops. Worcester News reports that the video sparked a large conversation about the parking situation on the city centre road, with city councillors weighing in on the issue. Cllr Richard Udall, chairman of the Licensing and Environmental Health Committee at Worcester City Council, revealed that some drivers have already received fines for their parking. He said: “I can confirm that a number of taxis received fixed penalties this week for offences on Foregate Street.
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A message from Wor- cestershire Regulatory Services has been sent to all drivers after the issue was highlighted in the Worcester News. The email said: “This poor practice is not only a health and safety hazard, but it is also causing increased traffic flow and congestion problems in and around
“Licensing officers have been taking action to enforce the rules.” Haris Saleem, chairman of the taxi Association in Worcester, agreed that if drivers were parking illegally in the area, the fines were justified. He said: “This has been an ongoing thing for a while now and a long- term issue. I think if drivers are illegally parking on Foregate Street, it cannot be defended at all. “The drivers need to respect the law and park properly.”
the city and is having a negative effect on driver reputation. “Officers will also be working with other enforcement agencies to keep these areas clear from illegal and irresponsibly parked vehicles. “If necessary both fixed penalty parking notices and penalty points issued under the Worcester City Hackney Carriage and Private Hire penalty point scheme, to any drivers who are found to be flouting the rules.”
OCTOBER 2022 PHTM
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