Your say / taxis
‘Our responsibility is to decide if an individual is fit to hold a taxi or private hire licence’
As a member of Bristol City Council’s Public Safety and Protection Committee, I feel the recent reporting on taxi licensing decisions risks giving readers an incomplete and potentially misleading impression of how these cases are determined.
The suggestion that councillors have simply “let drivers off” implies that standards have been relaxed or that dangerous behaviour has been overlooked. That is not an accurate reflection of the work undertaken by the committee.
Every case comes before us with a substantial evidence bundle prepared by professional licensing officers.
The Public Safety and Protection Committee’s role, says Abdul Malik, does not include re-prosecuting criminal or motoring offences – photo: Karen Johnson
Members consider all of the available evidence, the driver’s full licensing history, representations from all parties, the relevant legislation, statutory guidance and the council’s licensing policy before reaching a decision.
The public article understandably cannot include the confidential reports, personal mitigation, legal advice and other evidence that members are required to consider.
Our role is not to re-prosecute criminal or motoring offences. Those matters have already been dealt with through the appropriate legal process.
Our responsibility is to determine whether an individual remains a fit and proper person to hold a taxi or private hire driver’s licence. That is a significant legal test.
When making these decisions, I ask myself a simple question: Would I be comfortable if my own mother, daughter, wife or a vulnerable or disabled relative travelled alone in this driver’s vehicle? If the answer is no, then that weighs heavily in the decision-making process.
The committee also revokes licences where the evidence demonstrates that someone is no longer fit and proper, particularly in cases involving violence, sexual misconduct, dishonesty or behaviour presenting an unacceptable risk to the public. The published minutes themselves show examples where licences have been revoked.
Reasonable people may disagree with individual decisions, but it is important that criticism recognises the legal framework within which councillors must operate.
Decisions cannot be based on headlines or public opinion; they must be based on evidence, law, statutory guidance and fairness.
Public safety is, and will always remain, the committee’s overriding priority. Every member understands the responsibility we carry when deciding who should be entrusted with transporting members of the public.
This is an opinion piece by Abdul Malik, one of the councillors for Ashley
All photos: Karen Johnson
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