Bolton private hire drivers suspended and warned following licensing committee decisions

A licensing committee has imposed suspensions and issued formal warnings to several licensed private hire drivers following a series of misconduct hearings held in early January.

The decisions were taken at a meeting of the Licensing and Environmental Regulation Committee on 6 January 2026, where councillors considered three separate cases involving licensed drivers.

In the first case, councillors agreed to suspend a licensed private hire driver’s licence for four weeks after determining that he was not a fit and proper person to hold a licence at that time. The driver attended the meeting accompanied by his solicitor, and all parties were given up to 15 minutes to present their case.

An additional letter submitted late by the driver’s operator, S and D Taxis, was not considered after parties present did not consent to its inclusion. Following deliberation, councillors voted unanimously in favour of a four-week suspension, with no action taken against the driver’s vehicle licence.

Multiple drivers faced suspensions or formal warnings after councillors reviewed misconduct cases at a January licensing hearing.

The committee noted that the driver had received a conviction on 12 May 2025 for breach of requirements relating to control of a vehicle mobile phone. The offence resulted in six penalty points and was treated as a major traffic offence under the council’s Statement of Fitness and Suitability, a category that would normally result in licence revocation. Members also took account of the driver’s failure to report the conviction within the required timeframe, while balancing this against an otherwise good record.

A more severe sanction was imposed in a separate misconduct case, where councillors voted to suspend a private hire driver’s licence for eight weeks. The driver attended the hearing with two representatives and was informed that the suspension was intended both as a warning and a deterrent.

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The committee heard that the driver had been convicted on 22 December 2024 of a mobile phone-related offence while driving, again attracting six penalty points and falling within the definition of a major traffic offence. As with the earlier case, councillors noted that the conviction had not been reported promptly, in breach of licence conditions.

Members also took into account the driver’s previous appearance before the committee and a prior warning letter relating to breaches of licensing conditions. The motion to suspend the licence for eight weeks was carried unanimously, with councillors stating that the driver was not considered fit and proper to hold a licence during that period.

In a third misconduct case the committee opted for a lesser sanction, issuing a formal warning letter rather than imposing a suspension. The driver attended the meeting with two representatives and accepted elements of the concerns raised.

Councillors considered a conviction dated 22 July 2025 for failure to give information as to the identity of a driver, which was also classified as a major traffic offence under council policy. The driver had not reported the conviction on time and additionally disclosed at the meeting that he had attended a speed awareness course that had not previously been declared.

While acknowledging that the policy would normally point towards revocation, the committee said it had taken into account the driver’s domestic difficulties at the time. Members agreed unanimously to issue a warning letter covering both the driver and vehicle licence, emphasising expectations around disclosure and compliance going forward.