Bury Council have made the decision to revoke a man's private hire driver's licence with immediate effect following reports of inappropriate comments towards a female passenger.
During a council meeting, members were informed of a complaint made on 28 January about a driver (unnamed) who had made a series of comments to the woman and offered her a free ride.
The woman felt the comments made towards her were inappropriate and left her feeling uncomfortable, so she contacted the council to report the incident.
On 29 January, the licensing service received another complaint, this time from PC Scott of Greater Manchester Police, that the same driver had been released under investigation for another incident which occurred on 21 January.
In addition, on the 29 January, the licensing service received written communication from Rochdale Council that this driver had previously held a private hire driver's badge with Rochdale Borough Council before it was revoked in February 2019 following the receipt of allegations similar to those mentioned above.
This information had not been disclosed to Bury Council’s Licensing Service before they granted the man a licence.
The Head of Service for Trading Standards and Licensing in consultation with the Chairman of the Licensing and Safety Panel decided to revoke the driver’s private hire driver's licence with immediate effect on the grounds of public safety.
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