The Licensing Panel of North Northamptonshire Council met on Thursday 15 January 2026 and refused an application for a private hire driver licence. The decision was made after considering the applicant's fitness to hold the licence, taking into account undisclosed convictions.

Private Hire Driver Licence Application Refused

The panel unanimously decided to refuse an application for a private hire driver licence from an individual identified as MS. This decision was based on the applicant's fitness to hold the licence, as assessed against sections 5.4.2 and 5.11 of The North Northamptonshire Council Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy. The panel determined that the applicant was not a fit and proper person due to a failure to disclose serious convictions. The reasons for the refusal highlighted that The role of a licensed driver is a serious responsibility and the panel considers that applicants should fully understand and be responsible for the information within their applications and that failure to do this is a serious consideration for the fit and proper person test. The panel also noted that the applicant had failed to provide information about convictions that were considered serious matters.

The meeting was attended by Councillors D McLean, P Brooke, and L Robinson. Officers present included Rita Groves (Licensing Officer), Maddy Homer (Legal Adviser), Carol Mundy (Governance Officer), and Emma Robinson (Administrative Assistant). Councillor McLean was appointed as the Chair for the meeting. No apologies for absence or declarations of interest were made by the councillors.

The full details of the decisions made can be found in the Decisions 15th-Jan-2026 11.30 Licensing Panel.pdf document. The Printed minutes 15th-Jan-2026 11.30 Licensing Panel.pdf also provides a record of the proceedings. Further background information was available in the Public reports pack 15th-Jan-2026 11.30 Licensing Panel.pdf.