Agenda item

The Licensing Officer began by providing a verbal update to the sub-committee on a number of recent media reports.

In the first case he explained that a driver from Bristol has been prosecuted by Cheltenham Borough Council for unlawfully plying for hire. He proceeded to explain that on Friday 17 March 2017 two officers from Gloucester City Council, working in partnership with officers from Cheltenham Borough Council, approached a silver Vauxhall Vivaro.  The vehicle was licensed by Bristol City Council as a private hire vehicle.

Both officers approached the car and asked the driver if he was free. The driver asked where they wanted to go and the officers responded that they wished to go to Gloucester. Following a discussion, the driver suggested a price of £42 for the journey which the officers accepted.  The driver invited the officers to get into his vehicle to take them to Gloucester without an advance booking and was subsequently stopped and cautioned.

The driver was invited to attend an interview under caution on 20 April 2017 but failed to attend. He instead submitted a written statement.

The driver was reported for the offence of unlawfully plying for hire and was summoned to appear before Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court on Monday 15 January 2017. He was subsequently fined a total of £580.00 for the offence.

The Licensing Officer reported that in a second case Cheltenham Borough Council had been awarded £838 in costs following the last-minute withdrawal of an appeal against its licensing committee’s decision.

He explained that in January 2017 the licensing committee revoked a private hire driver’s licence after the driver accrued 12 penalty points for driving at excess speed on four separate occasions. The driver did not declare any of the penalty points to the Council as required under the terms of his licence and as such the committee felt that the facts showed he was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence. His licence was revoked with immediate effect in the interests of public safety. 

The driver subsequently lodged an appeal with Cheltenham Magistrates’ Court which the Council contested, but withdrew his appeal on the morning of the hearing. The Council pursued its legal costs in contesting the appeal. On Monday 8 January the court decided that the driver should pay to the Council the full costs of the appeal, amounting to £838.

The Licensing Officer also announced that Cheltenham had successfully retained its Purple Flag status – awarded in recognition of an evening and night-time economy which is appealing, welcoming and safe.

He explained that Purple Flag is a national town and city centre award which aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between the hours of 5pm and 5am. Areas awarded the Purple Flag are recognised for providing a vibrant and diverse mix of dining, entertainment and culture while promoting the safety and wellbeing of visitors and local residents.

He reported that feedback from the assessment panel noted the considerable building and refurbishment works in the town centre with likely positive impacts for the evening and night time economy, the influence and support of the Cheltenham Business Improvement District, ongoing work on reducing drunkenness at race meetings and falling levels of crime and disorder in the town during the evening and at night.

On behalf of the sub-committee, the Chairman thanked officers for their hard work which had led to these successful outcomes.