Uninsured cab shock and bankruptcy blunder sees cabbies spared the axe by councillors
- Perry Richardson
- 41 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Two licensed cabbies have been allowed to continue working after councillors concluded that failures to declare offences were the result of mistakes rather than deliberate dishonesty.
The decisions were taken by the Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council General Licensing Committee at its meeting on 25 November 2025, where members considered the continued fitness of drivers in separate hearings held in private session.
In the first case, councillors reviewed the conduct of a combined hackney carriage and private hire driver after he was convicted in June 2025 of using a vehicle without insurance. The offence resulted in six penalty points being added to his DVLA licence. The driver had also failed to notify the council of the conviction, as required under his licence conditions.
The driver told the committee that the incident arose after his private vehicle failed an MOT and he briefly moved it to allow access for a recovery truck. He said he did not appreciate that the offence related to his taxi licensing status and accepted responsibility for both the insurance offence and the failure to declare it.
Council opts against suspension or revocation in separate cases involving undeclared offences
After considering the circumstances, councillors decided that formal enforcement action was not proportionate. Members concluded that the driver had made a genuine error rather than attempting to mislead the authority. The committee resolved that the driver should receive a written warning and be reminded of his obligation to notify the licensing team promptly of any future convictions or changes in circumstances .
The committee then considered a second case involving a combined hackney carriage and private hire driver whose updated Disclosure and Barring Service certificate revealed new convictions under the Insolvency Act 1986. The convictions related to bankruptcy proceedings and a failure to declare a transfer of equity connected to the sale of his property.
The driver, represented at the hearing, explained that he had gifted equity to his brother as part of a property transaction but did not understand that this constituted a declarable offence. He told councillors that he believed the transaction was repayment of money he owed and said he would have notified the council immediately had he realised it was relevant to his licence.
Members noted that the driver had contacted the licensing service promptly once he became aware of the DBS status change. While acknowledging that the convictions should have been declared earlier, councillors accepted that the failure was not motivated by dishonesty.
The committee again opted not to suspend or revoke the licence, determining that a written warning was sufficient in the circumstances. The driver was reminded of the importance of complying with licence conditions, particularly those relating to disclosure of convictions and changes to personal circumstances.
Both decisions reflect the committee’s approach of assessing each case on its individual merits, with public safety remaining the primary consideration while distinguishing between deliberate misconduct and genuine misunderstanding of regulatory requirements.
