Sussex wrote:
I took the view, and still hold it, that the word individual means a 'one off', not an individual person.
Yes, and if you look carefully at the explanatory note posted by ManCityFan, it contrasts the 'circumstances of individual case' with a 'blanket policy', implying that 'individual' refers to a one-off rather than the normal course of events, so it's not about the applicant's 'legal personality', or whatever it's called.
Explanatory notes wrote:
56. Subsection (3) changes the law in such a way as to establish a standard duration of five years for a private hire vehicle operator licence. The section specifies that a licence may be granted for a period of less than five years but only in the circumstances of an individual case, not because of a blanket policy.
And that's just the explanatory notes - if you look at the actual wording of the legislation, there's absolutely nothing to suggest it's about legal personality:
Deregulation Act, s 10(3)(2) wrote:
Every licence granted under this section shall remain in force for five years or for such lesser period, specified in the licence, as the district council think appropriate in the circumstances of the case.
Also, if the intention was to distinguish between legal personalities (eg sole traders, partnerships, companies and other corporate entities) then the language used would be more precise than 'individual'