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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 2:35 am 
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Who knows what's happened here :-s

Did the driver hit a pedestrian, and if so, why no mention of injuries or police involvement, or whatever?

Alternatively, it almost reads as if the driver wasn't involved at all, but didn't stop, and happened to have only one hand on the wheel at the time, which means he loses his badge :-o

And who witnessed all this, and who complained, precisely? :-#


Worthing taxi driver's licence suspended following accident

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/po ... nt-3808238

A Worthing taxi driver has had their licence suspended by the council following an accident.

Worthing Borough Council’s Licensing and Control Committee took the decision in private last month to protect the individual’s identity.

According to draft minutes from the meeting, the cabby’s driving ‘fell below the standard that was expected of a professional driver’.

He ‘did not slow down’ when he saw a woman in the road and was ‘driving with one hand on the steering wheel’, according to the minutes.

“It was apparent that there was an accident and the respondent failed to stop and failed to report the incident,” say the minutes.

Members of the committee decided it was ‘proportionate and necessary’ to suspend the man’s hackney carriage licence immediately, in the interest of public safety.

They were concerned that the driver failed to show he would act any differently in a similar situation.

The cabby must complete a driving assessment course if he wants to work in the area again.


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 2:42 am 
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This is the relevant extract from the minutes, which fleshes the above out, but not much :?

Worthing Council Licensing & Control Committee A wrote:
Reasons for decision: The committee’s overriding concern was public safety. They felt that the respondents' standard of driving fell below the standard that was expected of a professional driver. The Committee were concerned that the respondent did not demonstrate that he would act any differently should the situation arise again. The respondent did not slow down when he saw the lady in the road, and he was driving with one hand on the steering wheel which did not demonstrate that he was in proper control of the vehicle and it was apparent that there was an accident and the respondent failed to stop and failed to report the incident. Therefore the Committee believed it was proportionate and necessary that the respondent demonstrate that he could successfully complete a driving assessment and, to ensure public safety, he should be suspended from driving with immediate effect until he had successfully completed the course.


Presumably item 5 referred to below would shed a bit more light if we could read that, but as usual no sign of that on the council's website, or whether that kind of stuff is in the public domain :roll:

"Before the Committee was a report by the Interim Director for Communities, a copy of which had been circulated to all members, a copy of which is attached to the signed copy of these minutes as item 5."

https://democracy.adur-worthing.gov.uk/ ... 1817&Ver=4


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 3:03 am 
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Anyway, what's the guessing it happened late at night, at the weekend, and there were alcohol or drugs involved :-$


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 8:22 am 
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Location: Stamford Britains prettiest town till SKDC ruined it
perhaps the secrecy is because there may yet be a police prosecution ?

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 11:55 am 
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Yes, a bit like that other recent one that alluded to a possible criminal charge, but was a bit vague about it.

Here there's nothing to suggest any police action or even any police involvement at all, but who knows? :?


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PostPosted: Wed Aug 17, 2022 8:12 pm 
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edders23 wrote:
perhaps the secrecy is because there may yet be a police prosecution ?

No, the secrecy is because that's how you should deal with personal license decisions.

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PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:19 am 
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Never really got all this anonymity stuff. What's the rationale, precisely?

I mean, if he appealed to a court then his name would be in the public domain, so why not at the first stage of the process?

And none of this 'secret squirrel' kind of stuff helps with regard to scrutiny and accountability etc.


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PostPosted: Fri Aug 19, 2022 9:09 pm 
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If a driver receives a warning, should the details of that appear in the press?

Some people lose their license because of medical reasons, should the details of that appear in the press?

Even taxi/PH have human rights, and one of them is the right to a private life. Article 8 I think.

If however someone goes to court then the open court process takes precedence.

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PostPosted: Wed Aug 24, 2022 8:40 am 
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I can see the point regarding medical matters, but why the secret squirrel stuff in licensing committees but then it's a different approach when if it gets to court? Why should the ECHR right to family life apply in the quasi-judicial setting, and not the courts?

And is all this up to individual councils, or is that the law on a national basis?

Certainly up here in Scotland drivers appearing before licensing committees are generally splattered all over the press (in Glasgow, most obviously), but if it's all down to ECHR then the same approach should hold up here?

(Never really looked into this, but can't offhand recall any Scottish case reported in terms of Driver A, Driver AFW, or whatever - it's always named individuals.)


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