Uber Birmingham granted temporary licence extension behind closed doors

Controversial ride-hailing app Uber has been granted a 'temporary' extension to their Birmingham licence, a decision that was made behind closed doors, according to a report in the Birmingham Mail . The decision was made by some of the city's council officers, a move that has left one councillor angered. He claims that he was "kept in the dark" regarding the decision which he wasn't part of. Speaking at Birmingham City Council's Licensing and Public Protection Committee yesterday March 14, councillor Des Flood argued there were still 'safeguarding concerns' surrounding the company and called for loopholes to be addressed. When Mr Flood asked to be notified of Uber's licence expiry date, he was shocked to learn it had already been extended. The council's head of licensing, Chris Neville told Flood that the temporary licence was granted by officers under "delegated" powers. Flood is now concerned that such a decision was made without himself and others being informed. An Uber spokesperson said: "our licence has been extended while (Birmingham City Council) continue to process our renewal "