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Continuous licensing will cut ills' options

17th August 1995
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Page 6, 17th August 1995 — Continuous licensing will cut ills' options
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Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

by Miles Brignall and Mike Jewell • Hauliers in trouble with Licensing Authorities will be more likely to have their licences suspended or revoked as LAs lose the power to end licences early, following the introduction of continuous licensing next year.

The warning to hauliers of disadvantages in the 0-licence changes, due to come into force on 1 January 1996, was given by West Midland LA John Mervyn Pugh at a Birmingham public inquiry last week. Under the current system an LA can end a licence early if he is unhappy at the way a company is being run.

Early termination has traditionally been used as a punishment short of a full suspension or revocation.

But from 1996, the LAs will have to decide whether offences warrant a suspension or removal of the licence. If not, no action can he taken.

Under continuous licensing hauliers will not have to apply to renew licences every five years, but they can be called to appear before the LA at any stage to answer for any offences.

Senior LA Ronald Ashford adds: "A sanction is being lost—but LAs can still review a haulier's licence after a fixed period if there are potential problems."

Tim Inman, operations director of the Road Haulage Association, says this is one consequence of the introduction of continuous licensing that might not have been planned. "But I'm sure that the advantages of the new system will more that outweigh any administrational problems it may cause," he insists. longer have to apply "You have to rememfor licence renewal. her that any firm can

Operators will no

be called to inquiry at any stage."

• Figures due to be released in the Annual Reports of the Licensing Authorities later this week will show that the number of hauliers having licences prematurely terminated during the year to the end of March 1995 was "marginally up" on last year's figure of 217. The manbetof revocations of Operator Licences (730 in 1993/94) is also understood to have risen slightly.


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