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Middlesborough Council REJECTS private hire driver application after ‘pattern of offending’ uncovered


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A private hire vehicle driver licence application has been refused by Middlesbrough Council’s Licensing Committee after concerns over a history of motoring offences and regulatory breaches.


The decision relates to an application which was considered at a Licensing Committee meeting held on 23 February 2026. Members concluded the applicant did not meet the legal threshold of being a “fit and proper person” to hold a licence under Section 51 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976.

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The applicant had previously held a combined hackney carriage and private hire driver licence between January 2016 and January 2025. That licence was revoked with immediate effect following a driving disqualification in December 2024 after accumulating 13 penalty points.


Committee papers outlined a pattern of motoring offences spanning several years, including four separate speeding offences between 2016 and 2024, as well as a no insurance offence in May 2024. The disqualification offence in December 2024 resulted in a six-month driving ban and financial penalty.


Committee rules applicant not ‘fit and proper’ following disqualification, repeated speeding offences and failure to disclose convictions


In addition to convictions, the committee considered previous complaints about the applicant’s conduct. These included a 2018 incident involving unsafe driving through a pedestrianised area and a separate warning issued for using inappropriate language towards a passenger.


Further concerns were raised about the applicant’s conduct during the application process itself. Officers reported that when submitting a new application in June 2025, the applicant failed to declare previous convictions and did not disclose that a licence had previously been revoked. When challenged, he stated this omission was not intentional.

The committee also noted a breach of licensing conditions after the applicant failed to notify the council within the required 48-hour period following his driving disqualification. Notification was made five days after the ban was imposed.


Middlesbrough Council’s licensing policy states that applications involving major traffic offences, including “totting up” disqualifications, will normally be refused until at least five years after the restoration of a DVLA licence. In this case, the relevant conviction-free period would not expire until June 2030.

In reaching its decision, the committee said the applicant demonstrated a “clear propensity to offend” and had shown insufficient accountability for repeated driving offences. Members also described his explanations during interview as evasive and determined there were no grounds to depart from established policy.


While the applicant told the committee that regaining a licence would help him care for his son following a serious injury, members concluded that public safety considerations outweighed personal circumstances.


The application was formally refused.

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