Uber to appeal as Brighton & Hove decides not to renew its licence
Ride-hailing service Uber has vowed to appeal after the licensing panel at Brighton & Hove City Council decided against renewing its private hire operator licence in the city.
The local authority said the decision was unanimous and taken as the members of the panel were not satisfied that Uber Britannia Limited was not a ‘fit and proper person’ to hold an operator’s licence under the terms of Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 and the council’s licensing objectives.
“The panel considered all circumstances relating to the application and the factors operating in Brighton & Hove. This included a number of issues raised by those objecting to the application, which they found to carry very little or no evidential weight,” the council said.
It said the panel did, however, have significant concerns about a data breach in 2016 and the company's lack of commitment to use only Brighton & Hove licensed drivers in the city. These formed the basis of the decision to not renew the licence, the council noted.
Cllr Jackie O’Quinn, Chair of the licensing panel, said: “When making Hackney Carriage and Private Hire operator licensing decisions, our priority is the safety of residents and visitors and, due to the data breach and the lack of commitment to using drivers licensed here, we were not satisfied that UBL are a fit and proper person to hold an operator’s licence in the city.
“All Brighton & Hove private hire and Hackney Carriage drivers in the city operate under the same licences and guidelines contained in the Blue Book and undergo the same background checks, whichever company they drive for. In the original application in 2015, UBL gave a firm commitment to adhere to the standards set out in the Blue Book and only to use Brighton & Hove licensed drivers. We do not feel the spirit of this commitment has been kept to. In the panel’s view, large numbers of taxis operating in the city that do not meet our Blue Book standards puts the safety of residents and visitors at potential risk.”
The decision letter can be viewed here.
An Uber spokesperson said: “This is a disappointing decision for the thousands of passengers and drivers who rely on our app in Brighton and Hove. We intend to appeal so we can continue serving the city.”
The company pointed out that it is licensed in 80 areas across the UK, and that in the last 12 months it has been granted 35 licences (either renewals or new grants) including in recent months in Cambridge, Glasgow, Nottingham, Leicester and Sheffield.
If Uber do appeal against the decision, their drivers licensed with Brighton & Hove can continue to operate in the city while the appeal is heard. Any appeal must be made to the Magistrates Court in Edward Street, Brighton within 21 days of notification of the council’s decision.
