BOLTON

A TAXI driver has had his licence revoked after acting "weird" and making "inappropriate comments" to a schoolgirl. 

Bolton Council's Licensing Committee was told that the man was taking the girl to school in September of last year when he began to ask her a number of questions which made her feel uncomfortable. 

This included asking if she had a boyfriend and if she was sexually active with her boyfriend.

When she got to school the child reported the incident to a teacher.

The private hire driver later confirmed to the committee that he had made comments but he told the councillors he was trying to "stress the importance of focussing on her education".
The hearing was conducted by the Sub-Committee on Sensitive Cases and was not held in public, meaning the name of the driver was not revealed, however minutes from the hearing have since been made available. 

Concluding, the committee took into account that many passengers "often travel alone and are vulnerable to inappropriate behaviour".

The minutes of the meeting added: "The Sub- Committee’s primary duty is of concern for the safety and well-being of the public. 

There is therefore reasonable cause to revoke the private hire drivers licence with immediate effect on the grounds of public safety."

https://www.theboltonnews.co.uk
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ST HELENS

Labour’s David Banks, chairman of St Helens Council’s licensing and environmental protection committee, made the worrying revelation during a meeting of the full council on Wednesday.

Coun Banks had brought a motion to council calling on the government to amend legislation to stop the practice of taxi drivers operating ‘cross-border’, which has become an issue since the introduction of the Deregulation Act in 2015.

The motion says the act has been “instrumental” in removing the ability to conduct enforcement action in relation to vehicles and drivers working St Helens but licensed by another authority.

This has meant St Helens Council has been powerless to determine whether drivers licensed in another authority – sometimes as far as Wolverhampton – are “fit and proper” to hold a licence.

Even more worryingly, it has also meant that it is powerless to stop drivers whose licence has been revoked from working in the borough.

Coun Banks said: “St Helens has extremely high standards when it comes to awarding licences to drivers and they must go through rigorous procedures to gain one.

“I know that within the industry there are some concerns that standards are not the same throughout the country.

https://www.sthelensreporter.co.uk
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