
The Highland Council is rushing to revisit a highly controversial decision that allowed convicted rapist David Brown to keep his operator's licence, despite him recently being sentenced to nearly seven years in prison.
The local authority is taking the rare step of reviewing its own ruling after councillors reportedly voted by a majority behind closed doors to let Brown retain the licence.
The decision directly ignored a formal objection from Police Scotland, who confirmed their officers attended the hearing to submit a protest but noted that "the decision on whether to grant a licence is a matter for the council."
To fix the blunder, the council's chief legal officer has stepped in, using a special rule that allows decisions to be referred to the full council if they are considered a potential "contravention of law" or "maladministration leading to injustice."
The 50-year-old Brown was convicted of raping a "vulnerable" 18-year-old passenger in a remote lay-by during sub-zero temperatures.
He was sentenced to six years and nine months in prison and placed on the Sex Offenders' Register for life for what the judge called "a terrifying ordeal" for the victim.
While Brown's actual taxi driver licence was stripped from him shortly after his conviction, the licensing committee inexplicably allowed him to keep his operator licence just five weeks into his prison sentence.
The council has refused to explain the reasoning behind the original vote, with a spokeswoman stating: "We do not comment on individual licensing cases, especially those held in private."
However, the backlash has thrown the local authority into chaos. The matter will now be reconsidered by all councillors, mandatory legal training is being rolled out across the local authority, and some of the politicians who originally voted to let Brown keep the licence are now facing potential votes of no confidence.

The claimants allege that Uber obtained and operated under its TfL licence unlawfully between 2012 and March 2018, stripping licensed cabbies of millions of pounds in earnings.

Irfan Sarwar had initially kept the cash at his luxury home in the Robroyston area of Glasgow before being intercepted by police during a targeted surveillance operation in Maryhill.

The safety operation, which also utilised mystery shopper exercises to boost security for passengers—particularly women—highlighted a growing concern among local law enforcement.

The dramatic incident unfolded on a Monday in Canterbury, when the driverless cab crossed the front garden and slammed into the structure, dislodging bricks and mangling the vehicle itself.

Under the newly unveiled structure, passengers taking the shortest trips in the city will face a 20% increase, bringing the minimum charge for distances up to 96 yards to £3.

ADCU has submitted formal evidence to London Assembly’s inquiry into AVs, calling for pause in trials until full safety, economic and equality assessments have been carried out.

The marshals will be operating throughout the summer and into 2027 as part of a scheme to improve night-time safety in the city.

Private hire drivers, working on platforms including Uber and Bolt, disrupted a London Assembly Transport Committee meeting on 24 June to protest the planned rollout of driverless cars on London’s streets.

A recent 12-week consultation revealed that 40 per cent of drivers oppose the requirement, slightly outnumbering the 32 per cent who support it.

Officers want to speak to Christian Dobos, 34, after an incident was reported in Sunningdale Gardens where a taxi driver was assaulted and a wing mirror on the taxi was damaged.

The proposed hike would add 20p to the starting meter rate, bringing it to £2.90, and increase the distance charge by 4p for every tenth of a mile, raising it from 20p to 24p. 
Ministers want to transfer licensing powers to regional transport bodies, which in the North East means the mayoral authority.

John Moreton, a 63-year-old cabbie from Wigan, faces being unable to use his hybrid vehicle beyond 2026 due to the rule.

Established for over 30 years, Coopers Taxis has built an outstanding reputation for providing reliable transport around Chorley, offering a diverse fleet to cater for every journey.

Jake Bland, 36, of Burton-in-Lonsdale, was handed a suspended sentence following the collision, which court records attributed to the defendant’s "bad driving."

An analysis of 137 pages of newly published committee minutes by the Local Democracy Reporting Service reveals that the local authority regularly takes a lenient approach.

At a recent Licensing and Regulatory Committee meeting, principal licensing officer Mark Toohey revealed that around 50 new drivers are applying every single week.

The decision was made by Bradford Council’s licensing panel following a police raid that uncovered a sophisticated illegal drug cultivation setup inside the house.

Bridget Farley-Smith picked up the distressed woman but sensing something was wrong, Bridget chatted with her passenger, who revealed she was on her way to the bank to withdraw £3,000 in cash.

Following a highly successful pilot programme that installed cameras in all hackney carriages, council bosses are now looking to roll out the security systems to an additional 50 private hire vehicles.
