Bolton has refused a private hire driver’s licence because of a mobile phone conviction the applicant did not declare.
The hearing was on 28 July 2026, in private, in the council chamber at Bolton Town Hall. The applicant attended with a representative. Each side had 15 minutes. All 12 councillors present then voted to refuse. There were no votes against and no abstentions.
The press and public had already been excluded. The applicant’s name is not in the minutes.
The conviction
The conviction was on 24 April 2025, for breach of requirements as to control of the vehicle, mobile phones. Under Bolton’s Statement of Fitness and Suitability that is a major traffic offence. A conviction less than three years old will generally mean an application is refused.
This one was still inside that period. The published minutes do not record the fine or the number of penalty points.
Not declaring it
The committee also found that he had failed to declare the conviction in line with the conditions of his licence. Bolton tells licence holders to report a conviction in writing immediately, and in any case within 24 hours. The council has warned the trade that a failure to report can lead to a warning, a suspension, a revocation, or a refusal, even where the offence on its own would not have decided the case.
This file, LER/24/26, was an application for a licence to drive a private hire vehicle. The minutes still refer to the conditions of his licence. They do not say whether he already held a Bolton badge or simply left the conviction off the application.
What they do record is the result. He was not a fit and proper person to hold the licence at this time. The report came from the Director of Place. Councillor Martin Donaghy, for Tonge with the Haulgh, moved the refusal. Councillor Anne Galloway, for Heaton, Lostock and Chew Moor, seconded it. The meeting ran from 2pm to 3.21pm.
A private hire driver’s licence is what permits pre-booked work. Before granting one, the council has to be satisfied the applicant is fit and proper.
The decision is in the committee minutes. Bolton set out the 24-hour reporting rule in a trade reminder, and the Bolton News reported the refusal when the minutes were released.