Peterborough magistrates\u2019 court has dismissed an appeal of East Cambridgeshire District Council\u2019s revocation of a private hire and hackney carriage licence.<\/p>\n
The revocation decision was made by the Council\u2019s licensing sub-committee following four incidents, including a near miss with a pedestrian and repeated failures to offer reasonable assistance to passengers with mobility issues.<\/p>\n
Central to the Council\u2019s success in defending the appeal was the previous suspension of the driver\u2019s licence only three years before the revocation. This demonstrated a pattern of non-compliance, leading the court to agree that the sub-committee was not wrong to conclude that nothing less than revocation would be effective to ensure public safety.<\/p>\n
The Council\u2019s defence of the appeal relied entirely on hearsay evidence of the relevant incidents. The outcome shows that hearsay is no bar to successfully defending a taxi licensing appeal if the council ensures that all the relevant documentary evidence (such as contemporaneous written complaints) is before the court when the appeal is heard.<\/p>\n
The Council was awarded its full costs.<\/p>\n