Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for the meeting from Members of the Panel.

Apologies for absence were noted from Councillors Francis and Lane.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Panel.

There were no declarations of interest submitted by Members of the Panel.

The Minutes of the proceedings of the meeting of the Speakers’ Panel (Licensing) held on 22 September 2015, having been circulated, to be signed by the Chair as a correct record.

The Minutes of the proceedings of the meeting of the Speakers’ Panel (Licensing) held on 22 September 2015 were agreed and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the public be excluded for the following items of business on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, because disclosure of the personal information contained in the reports would not be fair to the license holders and would therefore be in breach of Data Protection principles.

RESOLVED

That under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended) the public were excluded for the following items of business on the grounds that they involved the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraphs 2 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act and in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, because disclosure of the personal information contained in the report would not be fair to the applicant and would therefore be in breach of Data Protection principles.

To consider a report of the Assistant Executive Director - Environmental Services.

The Assistant Executive Director (Environmental Services) submitted a report requesting that the Panel considered whether the applicant was a fit and proper person in accordance with the provisions of Section 51 (1) (a) of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

The Panel considered the written information submitted that the applicant had first obtained a Private Hire Drivers Licence in 2006.  In March 2015 they appeared before the Panel following an arrest by Greater Manchester Police.  After hearing all the evidence, the Panel revoked their licence with immediate effect in the interests of public safety.

The Panel were notified that on 7 October 2015 the applicant attended the Licensing Office and informed officers that the case had been dropped and there were to be no further investigations from Greater Manchester Police.  The Licensing manager contacted the Detective Constable who had been dealing with the case who confirmed that there was no supportive evidence to the allegations and there were no other matters of intelligence which cast any doubt on the applicant’s character.

The Panel heard the Licensing Officer’s case and the applicant and the Panel were provided with the opportunity to ask questions.  The applicant addressed the Panel and the Licensing Officer and Panel Members were provided with the opportunity to ask questions.

At this juncture, the applicant and Licensing Officer left the meeting whilst the Panel deliberated.  The Solicitor to the Panel and the Senior Democratic Services Officer remained in the meeting to give legal and procedural advice and took no part in the decision making process.

The Panel considered all the information presented at the hearing and determined that a Private Hire Driver’s Licence be granted.

To consider any items which the Chair is of the opinion shall be considered as a matter of urgency

The Chair reported that there were no urgent items for consideration at the meeting.