Taxi operator and driver have licences revoked after council investigation

Lichfield District Council has revoked a taxi operator's licence in the "interests of public safety" – the taxi operator and driver cannot be named as they are both subject to a separate criminal investigation by licensing officers.

The local authority's Regulatory and Licensing Sub-Committee heard on March 7 that a local care home contacted the operator on January 11 and booked a taxi to take a vulnerable person and their carer to a supermarket.

The operator was already under investigation, and licensing officers headed to the supermarket to apprehend the taxi having received a tip-off.

They found that the operator had given the job to an unlicensed driver, who had not had a required medical examination or criminal records check and was using an unlicensed and uninsured vehicle that had not had the necessary safety checks. Officers suspended the operator's licence the same day.

The sub-committee of three elected councillors determined that the operator, who had been called to the hearing, was "not a fit and proper person" to hold the licence.

They noted that their 'paramount consideration' was the protection of the public, and that the same should have been true for the operator. Instead, the sub-committee found he had 'put profit before

public safety' and, by not keeping accurate records, thought that he would 'get away with it'.

The operator also held his own combined hackney carriage and private hire vehicle drivers’ licence, which the sub-committee revoked and his details will be added to a national register to prevent

him from being granted a licence elsewhere.

Following the hearing, cabinet member Councillor Alex Farrell said: "This disgraceful conduct falls well below what we expect from the taxi drivers and operators that we licence. Unfortunately, we are unable to name the operator as he, and the driver caught on the day, are subject to a separate criminal investigation by our licensing officers. Protecting the public is our first consideration and I hope this sends a strong warning to any other operator or driver who is considering cutting corners."