Highland Council has formally backed the unprecedented decision to refer the controversial David Brown taxi operator licensing case to a special meeting of the authority and has agreed to ask the Scottish Government to review taxi licensing laws covering convicted criminals.
Councillors met on Tuesday following the referral by the Chief Officer Legal and Governance of the Licensing Committee’s decision on 23 June to take no action in relation to two taxi operator’s licences held by David Brown.
However, the meeting was unable to reconsider that decision after Mr Brown surrendered both licences on Monday, removing the legal basis for any further determination.
Instead, councillors unanimously supported a motion confirming that the referral to a special meeting had been justified and unprecedented.
Members also agreed that a letter should be sent to the Scottish Government requesting a review of the rules, regulations and eligibility criteria governing whether convicted criminals, both incarcerated and released, should be granted licences associated with the taxi industry.
The meeting also heard that Highland Council Convener Bill Lobban, Council Leader Raymond Bremner and Leader of the Opposition Alasdair Christie intend to bring forward a motion of no confidence at September’s meeting of the Council against Councillors Sean Kennedy, Chris Birt, John Grafton, Ruraidh Stewart and Duncan MacPherson.
Addressing the chamber, Councillor Bill Lobban described the episode as one of the most disturbing in the Council’s recent history.
He said:
“Today sees the culmination of a quite disturbing episode in this Council’s history.
“Having weighed up and considered the information available from both licence holder and the objector, I find the decision taken by a majority vote of the licencing committee to continue to take no action on two licences issued to David Brown incomprehensible and, in my own personal opinion, shameful.
“I, and many other Members, have been disturbed and upset by the original decision and I have every confidence that had we been given the opportunity today we would have seen a totally different outcome.
“Clearly, we as a Council must reconsider how we deal with licencing within the boundaries of the law and those discussions will be ongoing as a matter of urgency.
“Members, it is important we remember at the heart of this matter, there is a victim.
“I fear at times there may have been a lack of attention or focus on them in recent weeks.
“Our sympathies lie with the victim in this case and the significant stress that the consequences of the original decision will ultimately have on them.”
Although today’s meeting was unable to determine the original licensing issue because the licences had already been surrendered, councillors made clear they believed the extraordinary referral to the full Council had been justified and called for changes to the law to help prevent similar cases arising in future.
