Wakekeen's licence bid is adjourned
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• A bid for a new licence by Wakekeen, trading as Challenger Transport, has been adjourned by North Western Deputy Licensing Authority Kenneth Birchall until he is given a breakdown of how much it pays to lease its vehicles.
The Widnes-based company had applied for a new national licence for five vehicles. The DLA, however, was concerned because cheques in payment of vehicle excise duty, in respect of a company that Wakekeen's directors, Robert Turner and his son Michael, had been connected with, had been dishonoured.
For Wakekeen, John Backhouse said that after operating on his own for a period, Robert Turner had formed Arenatrans. That company had worked for one principal customer, carrying scrap metal. It was advised to cease to trade after the customer twice unilaterally cut the rates. A creditor subsequently put Arenatrans into liquidation, leaving Robert Turner with debts of 1'7,000 which he had personally guaranteed.
Turner was then associated with a small parcels business which folded up. Subsequently, in conjunction with Brian Charles of North Wales, he established Veerfleet, but he and his son had left that company, which was taken over by Brian Charles before it went out of business. It appeared that it was the liquidator of that company who had dishonoured the VED cheques.
Arguing that the Turners were unlikely to run into the same sort of problems in the future, Backhouse said that Wakekeen's vehicles were leased from its principal customer for an all-in figure which included vehicle excise duty, insurance, fuel, tyres, oil, depreciation and the maintenanc of the vehicles, and the customer ensured that the work was profitable.
Adjourning the application, Birchall said that he was saris fled that the company met all the necessary requirements apart from finance, and he required more information abou how the leasing figure was broken down. The figures pt.( duced were somewhat out of date and it was impossible to tell from them how much it was costing to maintain the vehicles. He wanted more up to-date figures broken down between the various items. If those figures were satisfactor he would grant the applicatior without the necessity of a further public inquiry.
Meanwhile, the company's current interim licence would be extended.