Taxi Driver Online

Aberdeen Press and Journal

October 12, 2006 Thursday

HEADLINE: Council suspends taxi company's licence after owner's drugs fine

BYLINE: Raymond Shewan

Thirty-five drivers were thrown out of work last night after the boss of Buckie's biggest taxi firm had his licences suspended following a drugs conviction.

Harbour Taxis was forced to cease trading after Moray Council's licensing committee suspended Ian Taylor's operator and driver's licences with immediate effect.

The committee upheld a submission from Grampian Police that Mr Taylor, 47, was no longer a fit and proper person to run a taxi business.

The police informed the committee that Mr Taylor had been fined £600 at Elgin Sheriff Court for the possession of cocaine and cannabis. The committee had the option of suspending his licences but allowing the business to continue operating pending an appeal.

But members took the view that the seriousness of the drugs offences merited immediate suspension. He and his wife, Shona, had owned Harbour Taxis for six years and the firm employed 35 full-time and part-time staff.

A police report to the licensing committee said that intelligence had been received from a number of sources alleging that Mr Taylor was involved in the supply of cocaine in Buckie and a search warrant was executed at his home in Brodie Avenue on December 21 last year. Various drugs were found in his possession and he was cautioned and charged and a report prepared for the fiscal.

The committee was told that among the drugs recovered were two quantities of cocaine found in Mr Taylor's mouth. He appeared in court in July when he was fined £500 for possession of cocaine and £100 for possession of cannabis resin.

Mr Taylor's solicitor, Samantha Scott, with whom he attended yesterday's committee meeting, described Harbour Taxis as a very successful business whose employees would be affected by the suspension of his licences.

"If there were immediate suspension the business would cease to operate," said Miss Scott. She claimed that Mr and Mrs Taylor had been the victims of a whispering campaign designed to destroy their business and had even received a death threat.

Miss Scott said they had brought this to the attention of the police but were told there was little that could be done. She said Mr Taylor had obtained drugs in a Buckie pub at a time when he was very drunk and had no opportunity to get rid of them before being seen by the police.

Questioned by committee members, Mr Taylor confirmed he had bought the drugs for £100 in a local bar the evening prior to the police raid at his home. He admitted that he had used drugs in the past, including cocaine.

The committee agreed unanimously to suspend Mr Taylor's licences with immediate effect. Committee chairman Alastair Bisset said: "I agree that we cannot have a taxi operator or driver who is involved in drugs."

It emerged during the meeting that Mr Taylor was working as a fisherman and that the taxi business had been run by his wife who was awaiting the outcome of her application for an operator licence.

A Moray Council spokesman said the loss of the 10 licences held by Harbour Taxis left Buckie with only nine current taxi licences, although other firms would be at liberty to apply for the suspended licence plates.
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Confused from Sussex here.

As they don't have operator's licenses up there how can they suspend one.

Fair enough they can do what they like to his driver and vehicle license, but they can't stop something he doesn't have, nor need.

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IDFIMH

Presumably he has a fleet of cars and they've withdrawn the plates?

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

Indeed, that's what the final paragraph above seems to say.

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Taxi Driver Online
www.taxi-driver.co.uk

If my memory serves me well, in Scotland an operator license refers to what we call a proprietor license.

Regards

JD

Love to see it in London,some companies allegedly just money laundering operations,nice EH?????????????

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The views expressed by this contributor do not neccesarily reflect the policys of The GMB Nationally or of the GMB London Region.

Yeah? you should be proud of that capital City of yours.

CC

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Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
George Carlin

This action was taken by Moray Council, not Aberdeen City Council. Buckie is over 50 miles from Aberdeen

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http://wingsoverscotland.com/ http://www.newsnetscotland.com/

If far as I am led to believe if this guy appeals the decision in the courts he will be able to keep his taxi operator licences until any legal process is completed,and as a result keep his cars on the road

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxicabs_around_the_world

Your quite correct JD, in my area you need an operators licence for every taxi/PH you own, at £172 each, that's where we get riped off, as in most area's you only pay for the first taxi then at reduced costs for any further taxis you want to put on