Court upholds council decision to refuse taxi licence over public safety concerns

The driver also failed to disclose that his previous licence had been previously revoked by the council, casting doubt on his honesty. This outcome demonstrates the council’s unwavering commitment to prioritising public protection and ensuring passengers, particularly the most vulnerable, are safe when travelling in Buckinghamshire Council licensed taxis and private hire vehicles.

Mr Wasim Iqbal’s licence was revoked by Buckinghamshire Council in September 2022, following a report that he sexually assaulted a female passenger. In December 2023, Mr Iqbal applied for a new driver licence with Buckinghamshire Council but failed to declare the previous revocation, contrary to the council’s policy.

After careful consideration of the application and all available evidence, and in accordance with current policy, a decision was made to refuse Mr Iqbal a licence on the basis that he could not be considered fit and proper.

Buckinghamshire Council received an appeal from Mr Iqbal against the decision to refuse his licence application, which was heard at Wycombe Magistrates Court on 3 February 2025.

In court, Mr Iqbal argued that too much weight had been given to the investigation into the alleged sexual assault, which resulted in no action being taken by the police, and insufficient weight had been given to his positive conduct.

Magistrates found the council was correct to make the decision based on its policy and Mr Iqbal could not be considered fit and proper to hold a licence. In relation to the investigation for the serious sexual assault, the magistrates commented: “You were questioned about the sexual assault incident and failed to provide a credible or consistent account of the events at the time and were unable to fill in the gaps and time discrepancies and just said you had forgotten, which casts doubt on your version of events.”

In relation to the second grounds and Mr Iqbal’s failure to disclose the previous revocation, Magistrates commented: “You failed to disclose your previous private hire licence had been revoked and answered no to that specific question. When questioned by the council in interview and under oath today, you admitted you were aware at the time of submitting the application that you had incorrectly answered this question. However, you took no action whatsoever to rectify this and only disclosed it was a mistake.”

Magistrates also considered an employer’s reference provided by Mr Iqbal to support his appeal: "It was established by investigation from the council and by your own evidence under oath that this letter was just written by your friend and not on behalf of their company. You must have either known or ought to have known that this letter was dishonest from the outset, however, you still submitted it as evidence to support your application and as evidence of your character. This casts a serious concern over your honesty and integrity and further highlights your dishonesty."

Mr Iqbal’s appeal was dismissed, and he was ordered to pay Buckinghamshire Council’s costs in the case of £3,718.14.

Mark Winn, Cabinet Member for Homelessness and Regulatory Service, said:

"The safety and protection of the public, especially our most vulnerable passengers, is a priority for Buckinghamshire Council. We are dedicated to rigorously enforcing our licencing policies to ensure that only individuals who can be trusted are granted licences. We welcome the Magistrates' decision, which reinforces our commitment to maintaining the highest standards of safety and integrity within our community."