Agenda and draft minutes

To elect a Member to act as Chair of the meeting

The decision:

That Councillor Tim Grogan be elected as Chair for the duration of the meeting.

(Councillor Grogan in the Chair)

There were no apologies for absence.

Councillors are invited to declare at this point any disclosable pecuniary interests they have in items appearing on this agenda, including the nature of those interests.

There were no declarations of interest.

To confirm the procedure to be followed at the meeting.

The decision:

The Sub Committee agreed the procedure for the meeting as outlined by the Chair.

To consider passing a resolution under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 excluding the press and public from the meeting during consideration of item 6 on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act.

That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the press and public were excluded from the meeting during consideration of item 6 on the agenda on the grounds that it involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 1 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act as the Sub-Committee was satisfied that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

To receive a report from the Corporate Director of Environment.

The subject of the decision:

The Corporate Director – Environment asked the Sub-Committee to consider whether a licence holder (“D”) was a fit and proper person to continue to hold a hackney carriage driver licence.

Alternative options considered:

The Sub-Committee considered all of the options as set out in the officer’s report but, having concluded that D was not a fit and proper person to hold a hackney carriage driver licence, the only suitable option was to revoke D’s licence. 

The Sub-Committee was not satisfied that any of the alternative options, including issuing a warning or suspension, would adequately serve the interests of the public and address the concerns raised.  

The reason for the decision:

The Sub-Committee considered the Corporate Director’s report including written and oral representation from the Council’s Health & Adult Services, the oral and written representations of D, Craven District Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, North Yorkshire Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy and the relevant legislation.

The Sub-Committee was informed that Health & Adult Services had contacted the Licensing department following concerns raised regarding the financial circumstances of a member of the public (“P”). The Sub-Committee was informed that P has physical and mobility issues and a dementia condition. In February 2023 the family of P had contacted Health & Adult Services after reviewing P’s financial information and noting a depletion of P’s funds over recent years and a bequest in her will to D.  The Sub-Committee was informed that the concerns were in relation to a number of large cash withdrawals from P’s bank account in 2020 and 2021.  A number of large sums ranging between £700 and £1000 had been withdrawn over that period of time totalling £18,000.  Health & Adult Services officers were informed by P’s family that they had been told by the bank that P had been accompanied by a male when making the cash withdrawals.  P’s family also informed Health & Adult Services officers that they had also found a thank you card from D at P’s house within which D had thanked P for financial support for eye surgery.

Health & Adult Services wrote to D asking for a meeting in order to better understand the concerns raised.  Within a week of the letter being sent, D had met with Health & Adult Services over three separate occasions and had handed over cash totalling £28,000 that he had originally received from P in cheques in 2017 and 2019.

D informed the Sub-Committee that he had first met P around 2016 when she had made a taxi booking.  D stated that, following that trip, P had telephoned his house requesting that he visit her at her home and during that visit requested his business card.  P lived alone and thereafter P would regularly book D to take her out for drives.  D informed the Sub-Committee that P had also rung him when she thought someone was on her roof.  D informed the Sub-Committee that P had given him three cheques totalling  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69.