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Special Reasons for Co-op's Grant
Page 52
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There were special reasons behind the granting (or perhaps "regranting " would be a more correct term) of an excursions and tours licence to Birmingham Co-operative Society Ltd. by the West Midland Traffic Commissioners. The Commissioners, in their decision published last week, made it quite clear that they would require much stronger evidence of a more specific character before granting any extension to the licence, and said, quite categorically, that if there had been no background history, they would have exercised their discretion against the Birmingham Co-op.
Since the licence was first granted in 1930 and up to 1949, the applicants had offered regular excursion facilities within their catchment area. Between 1949 and 1958, however, traffic declined, and from 1960 onwards there had been no operation under the licence.
Fifteen operators and the British Railways Board objected to the "renewal ", their contention being that whatever gap (if any) had existed when the applicants ceased to operate, must have been filled by other operators.
One of the matters taken into account by the Commissioners in granting the licence was the fact that the applicants had had their licence taken away from them rather than having surrendered it themselves of their own volition. This, [would suggest, is the most important of the Commissioners' reasons for granting the licence. Whether it will be accepted by the Minister, on appeal, remains to be seen.