The Speakers Panel (Licensing) met to discuss a review of a private hire driver's licence, and decided to suspend the licence for three months, pending the completion of a training course and demonstration of understanding of compliance obligations.

Review of Private Hire Driver's Licence

The Panel reviewed a report from the Assistant Director of Operations and Neighbourhoods regarding a private hire driver's licence, specifically licence 03/2025. The review was to determine whether the licence holder was still a fit and proper person to hold a licence, as required by Section 61 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976¹. The Panel heard that the driver had been licensed since 2015, and had applied to renew their licence in April 2025. During the renewal process, checks with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) revealed a TT99 endorsement² for accumulating penalty points, resulting in a six-month driving disqualification that began in October 2022. The driver admitted to not informing the Licensing Department of their disqualification, which is a breach of Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council's (MBC) Private Hire Driver Conditions.

The Panel considered the council's policy and guidelines on the Fit and Proper Person Test, as well as the Statutory Taxi & Private Hire Vehicle Standards issued by the Department for Transport in 2020.

The driver told the panel that they believed they were still a fit and proper person to hold a licence, explaining that they had not driven a private hire vehicle during their disqualification and were unaware of the requirement to report it.

The Panel decided that the driver was not currently a fit and proper person to hold a Private Hire Driver's License, and that a suspension was appropriate.

The Panel resolved that Private Hire Driver's License 03/2025 would be suspended for three months. The suspension will remain in effect until the driver completes a council-approved driver standards and regulatory compliance training course, and provides written confirmation and reflection demonstrating their understanding of disclosure obligations. The licence may be reinstated after these conditions are met.

The Panel considered:

• The Council's Policy & Guidelines on the Relevance of Convictions, Cautions and Conduct.
• The Statutory Taxi & Private Hire Vehicle Standards issued by the Department for Transport (2020).
• Sections 61 and 61(2A) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

The Panel acknowledged the importance of protecting public safety and maintaining the integrity of the licensing framework, and considered the failure to report the disqualification a significant breach of trust.

Other Business

The Panel approved the minutes of the previous meeting held on 15 July 2025. They also noted that the next meeting was scheduled for 11 November 2025.