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Independent Highlands Council taxi licensing review demanded after convicted rapist kept operator licences
Highland Council is facing calls for an independent external review of its licensing system after convicted rapist David Brown was allowed to keep taxi operator licences registered in his name.
The motion follows reporting by The Courier that a majority of the Highland Licensing Committee backed the continuation of Brown’s licences during a meeting held behind closed doors on 23 June 2026. The decision was subsequently referred back for reconsideration.
Seven female councillors have now submitted a motion calling for a wide-ranging examination of public safety, safeguarding, transparency and the application of the statutory fit and proper person test.
Four of the motion’s signatories, Councillors E Knox, L Johnston, K MacLean and J Hendry, are members of the Licensing Committee. All four voted against allowing the licences held in Brown’s name to continue.
The fallout intensified after the result became public. Four male councillors who supported the continuation of the licences resigned from the committee, while Highland Council later announced plans for a vote of no confidence in the members concerned.
That vote is also expected to take place at the full council meeting on 17 September, when councillors will consider the proposed independent licensing review.
The motion says the controversy has developed beyond the circumstances of a single case and prompted wider questions about confidence in the council’s licensing processes. It identifies concerns about consistency, safeguarding, transparency and the weight given to Police Scotland objections and other public protection information.
It states: “Licensing is fundamentally a public protection function and that public confidence is strengthened when licensing decisions are seen to place safety, safeguarding and the prevention of harm at their centre.”
If approved, the external review would be led by a suitably qualified person independent of Highland Council. It could draw on expertise in licensing law, public protection, safeguarding, violence against women and girls, equality, human rights, governance and ethical decision-making.
The proposed scope includes the operation of the Highland Licensing Committee and arrangements for appointing its chair, taking account of the committee’s quasi-judicial role. The review could also examine the legal advice, governance arrangements and officer support available to councillors making licensing decisions.
It would be invited to consider whether the fit and proper person test is being applied consistently, how Police Scotland objections and public protection evidence are treated, and how cases involving violence, sexual offending, domestic abuse and safeguarding concerns are handled.
The motion also seeks scrutiny of whether women’s safety and lived experience are adequately reflected in licensing decisions. Other potential areas include equality, unconscious bias, organisational culture, member training, accountability and the balance between confidentiality and public transparency.
Reviewers could engage with elected members, council officers, Police Scotland, licensing professionals, equality bodies, women’s organisations and other relevant stakeholders.
The chief executive would be asked to present detailed commissioning proposals at the council’s next meeting. These would cover the review’s terms of reference, governance arrangements, estimated costs and resource requirements.
Subject to those proposals receiving approval, a review chair would be appointed and the investigation started by the end of December 2026. An interim report would be presented by 31 March 2027, setting out progress, emerging findings and a timetable for completing the work.
The motion would also allow Highland Council to introduce interim changes to the operation or membership of the Licensing Committee before the review reaches its final conclusions.
The motion has been signed by Councillors J Hendry, E Knox, L Johnston, K MacLean, S Atkin, M Reid and K Willis.
