Licence bid fails
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SHROPSHIRE COMPANY which tried to mislead a Licensing uthority to gain more time to raise a £120 fee for an operator's :ence has had its appeal dismissed by the Transport Tribunal, and bid for a new licence failed last week.
Leslie Holding and Mrs Sheila olding, trading as Holdings of Word, applied for a renewal of standard 0-licence in June last par. But as Mr Holding had re ly joined Mrs Holding as a inner, the West Midlands LA aated the application as a new le.
The LA said at the time of the pplication he was not satisfied ith the company's financial anding, but a letter from )Iding's accountant prompted e LA to grant a one year ence from October 19, 1982. The licence fee was requested the LA, but the cheque sent to m by Holdings was dismoured by its bank. On Janiry 20 this year a letter was nt to Holdings telling it what id happened and asking for the a in cash or by postal order. Next month a reminder was nt to Holdings and another cheque, again dishonoured, was sent to the LA. In May the LA sent a letter by recorded delivery informing Holdings that a public inquiry was to be held on June 16 and that if the licence fee had not been received by then, it would lose its licence due to insufficient finances.
Just before the inquiry Mr Holding rang the LA and said that he had only just received the May letter and could not attend the inquiry. He also said that he had not know that his cheques had been dishonoured and would check up with his accountants.
The inquiry was adjourned to June 22. Nobody from Holdings attended and the licence fee was still unpaid. The LA therefore revoked its licence.
In July Holdings entered an appeal and the LA agreed that the revoking should wait until this had been disposed of. The appeal claimed that Holdings had not been told that the cheques had been dishonoured, and that letters sent had not reached the company in time.
In dismissing the appeal the Transport Tribunal said that close examination of the letters and the envelopes revealed that two letters informing Holdings of the date of the public inquiry had been sent recorded delivery and so had been received in ample time.
Seeking an interim licence last week for eight vehicles, Michael Carless, for the firm, said investigations into who had signed for recorded delivery letters had not yet been completed. He asked the LA not to close down the business that had been operating for 29 years until such time as a new application for a full licence had been dealt with.
Mr Holding said that he still maintained he had not received the letters. If they had to wait for the outcome of the application for a full licence they would have to close down.
The firm had overdraft facilities of £15,000 of which £13,500 had been taken up. About £14,000 was owed to it and turnover was in the region of £2,500 to £3,000 a week.
Questioned by West Midland LA Ronald Jackson, Mr Holding said he did not have any audited accounts for the current year.
Refusing the interim licence, Mr Jackson said there was insufficient evidence on which he could make a grant.