Taxi Driver Online

East Lindsey taxi drivers could lose licence

https://www.lincolnshireworld.com/news/ ... ce-3684298

A number of taxi drivers in East Lindsey face having their licenses suspended on Monday after falling behind with their DBS checks.

East Lindsey District Council’s Licensing Committee will examine a list of four drivers who have not kept up with their subscription to an online DBS Update Service which has been a requirement of the council since September 2020.

Officers are recommending the licences be suspended in order to fulfil the authority’s role in making sure taxi drivers and passengers are safe.

The names of the drivers subject to the report have been hidden behind exempt information.

If the vote is passed, drivers will be able to get their licence reinstated by providing the Licensing Team with a new Enhanced DBS Disclosure no more than 28 days old and to the Other Workforce (Taxi and Private Hire Driver) – Child & Adults Barred List Check criteria.

“The council has a duty to ensure that any person to whom it grants a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle driver’s licence is a fit and proper person to be a licence holder,” said the officer’s report.

“When dealing with matters of public safety the impact on the livelihood of the driver of the suspension or revocation of a driver’s licence is not normally a relevant factor. However, the suspension or revocation of a licence should not be taken lightly.

“The overriding purpose of hackney carriage and private hire licensing is public safety and where there is a risk to public safety, action should be taken as soon as possible to minimise that risk”

I'm pretty clueless about the DBS stuff and procedures, but would have guessed that these drivers would be suspended automatically under delegated powers rather than it having to go to committee?

our council has never taken the trouble to properly explain how the DBS update system works or how they use it and I doubt it's any different up at the north end of the county

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Taxis Are Public Transport too

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I suspect councillors have never delegated those powers.

But why bother with all of this, just make the drivers undertake another DBS check. If they have set up a payment system and the money hasn't been paid, for whatever reason, then those drivers have no one else to blame for that than themselves.

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IDFIMH

I'm guessing the drivers just won't play ball for whatever reason, if it's gotten to this stage.

Perhaps they're just stalling because they know what a new DBS check will throw up

Or perhaps they've just left the trade, and are simply not interested, but the council has to go through the formal rigmarole of a committee hearing and suspension.

Which could, of course, have been largely avoided if the powers had been delegated.

More rigmarole, but apart from that not much to see here if you've read the article above.

And I'd guess that in most councils this kind of thing would never get to committee, and would barely be noticed by anyone, never mind splattered all over the local press

And why behind closed doors? Surely if they don't want the names of the drivers disclosed, the names wouldn't have to be made public, or at least the press could be restricted from reporting the names?


Four taxi drivers’ licences suspended after falling behind disclosure checks

https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2022/05/fou ... re-checks/

Meeting held behind closed doors

Four taxi drivers in East Lindsey have had their licences suspended after falling behind with DBS checks.

East Lindsey District Council’s Licensing Committee on Monday examined a list of drivers who had not kept up with their subscription to an online DBS update service – a requirement of the council since September 2020.

The meeting took place behind closed doors but the council has now revealed the results of discussions.

Councillors voted in favour of officer recommendations to suspend the licences to make sure drivers and passengers are safe.

An officer’s report said: “The council has a duty to ensure any person to whom it grants a hackney carriage or private hire vehicle driver’s licence is a fit and proper person.

“The overriding purpose of… licensing is public safety and where there is a risk to public safety, action should be taken as soon as possible to minimise that risk.”

The names of the drivers have been hidden behind exempt information.

The drivers can get their licence reinstated by providing the licensing team with a new Enhanced DBS Disclosure no more than 28 days old and to the ‘other workforce (taxi and private hire driver) – child & adults barred list’ check criteria.