Mockery was made of licensing
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A West Yorkshire company has been granted an 0-licence despite admitting that it had been operating illegally since a predecessor company dropped its licence bid after it also operated illegaliy Urbantome, trading as Wards Transport, had applied to North Eastern Deputy Traffic Commissioner Brian Homer for a fourvehicle/three-trailer licence, based at Red
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Lion Garage, Lepton, Huddersfield. Its sole director, Elaine Richardson, had been a director of Mattwood, which had traded as Ward 86 Sons, following the liquidation of two previous companies, Ward Bros (Lepton) and Polaw.
When the company came before the Deputy TC last July, Richardson gave evidence that she had not had any position with Polaw but had set up Mattwood with her partner Kevin Ward. That company's licence application was withdrawn on legal advice at a public inquiry in November 1997. She had carried on operating the vehicles as the alternative would have been to lose her house. Adjourning that hearing, the Deputy IC granted the company interim authority to operate four vehicles and three trailers.
When the hearing was continued, the VI's North Eastern Region intelligence officer, Tracey Collins, said Urbantome's transport manager had been Joseph Ward. He had been a director of Polaw, whose licence was revoked in July 1997. The vehicles being operated by Urbantome had also been operated by Polaw. Mattwood was now in liquidation.
Collins added that from the end of September 1997 until the end of July 1998 vehicles had been operated under the guise
of Mattwood without licence authority. The vehicles were registered in the name of Urbantome and had previously been reglstered in the name of Mattwood. Urbantome was subsequently convicted of six offences of unauthorised use.
For the company, Paul Carless argued that it had had a pretty good record since the interim authority to operate was granted. He stressed that Richardson had known nothing about 0-licensing during her involvement with Mattwood.
Granting a licence for two vehicles and three trailers only, the Deputy TO said the unauthorised operation had made a mockery of the 0-licensing system.
He found it hard to blame Richardson entirely, but she was a director and must take the responsibility for some quite disgraceful matters. The only reason he was granting a licence was because he was satisfied matters had been put right since last July.