Agenda and minutes

Councillor MacAlister declared a non-financial interest in relation to the application by Mr  Skibinski for a Taxi Car Driver’s Licence on the basis that he is the holder of a Taxi Car Licence.  He left the room during discussion of the item and accordingly took no part in the decision making.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting, inviting Members of the Committee and the Officers in attendance to introduce themselves.  He outlined the procedure that would be followed during the meeting.

Applicant

Mr Skibinski introduced himself and set out the reasons why he required a taxi driver’s licence.  He explained that he had offer of employment as the 1^st driver for Etive Taxis and that he had received support from customers who had appreciated the service he had provided.

The Committee noted that there were no objectors present and this time and therefore moved on to question the applicant on his submission.

Question Time

Councillor Robin Currie asked about the applicant’s second hand goods shop.  The applicant explained that he had taken on the shop when he had lost his licence and that his intention was to put a member of staff in the shop and he would work the taxi.

Councillor McCuish queried whether the offer to work for Etive taxis was guaranteed if he was granted his licence.  The applicant confirmed that it was and that the owner of the firm was a very good friend of his.

Councillor McCuish asked the applicant to comment on the letter from Strathclyde Police.  The applicant outlined the reason for his non-disclosure on the application form, explaining the difficulty in obtaining specific details from both the Police and the DVLA.  He had eventually been advised to include rough details which he did over the phone to the staff in the Licensing section.

During the applicant’s response to the foregoing question, Inspector McLeish joined the meeting and commented that the Police concerns were really in relation to the non-disclosure and that given the explanation of the application, they were satisfied of the attempts to do so by the applicant. 

The Chair asked the applicant to confirm he had received a fair hearing.  The applicant confirmed that he had had opportunity to set out everything he wished to say.

Decision

It was unanimously agreed to grant a Taxi Car Driver’s Licence to Mr Skibinski for a three year period.

(Ref:  Report by Head of Governance and Law dated 22 June 2011, submitted)