Court backs Sevenoaks District Council decision to deny driver a taxi licence

A DRIVER whose application for a taxi licence was refused by Sevenoaks District Council has had his appeal rejected by magistrates.

36 year-old Mehmet Caliskan from Kemsing appealed against the Council’s decision to refuse a Hackney Carriage driver’s licence at Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court on Friday 21 June 2019.

Caliskan’s previous licence was revoked following two allegations, one in April 2018 and another in October 2018. After the first incident, Caliskan was interviewed and ordered to undergo safeguarding training.

Following the second incident he admitted to acting inappropriately by striking up a relationship and entering the home of a vulnerable, lone female customer.

The Council was not satisfied he was a fit and proper person and his application was refused.
Sevenoaks Magistrates’ Court upheld the Council’s decision on the basis Caliskan had acted inappropriately in the second incident even after he had been given safeguarding training. He had not shown he understood his responsibilities and therefore, on the balance of probabilities, he was found not to be a fit and proper person to hold a Hackney Carriage driver’s licence.

The court ordered Caliskan to pay the Council £200 in costs.

Cllr Margot McArthur, the Council’s Cabinet Member for Cleaner and Greener, said: “Keeping the travelling public safe is a top priority for this Council. The overwhelming majority of our taxi drivers do a brilliant job, providing a safe and, for many, an essential service. They are in a position of trust. However, we will always take action if we believe a driver is not a fit and proper person to do the job.”