A man has been refused a taxi licence after being deemed a poor driver.

Buckinghamshire Council has successfully defended in court, its decision to refuse to give Mr Asghar, of Hatters Lane, High Wycombe, a hackney carriage and private hire driver licence.

This was due to his driving licence being endorsed with seven penalty points for an offence of driving without due care and attention following a crash with a motorbike in High Wycombe in November 2020.

The council also considered Mr Asghar's previous revocation from Wycombe District Council in 2018 for poor driving standards.

Mr Asghar chose to appeal this decision, but the case was heard at Wycombe Magistrates' Court on September 13 and his appeal was dismissed.

Magistrates found that the council was right to refuse the application based on its policy.

As a result, Mr Asghar was ordered to pay Buckinghamshire Council's costs of £2,451.92.

Mark Winn, cabinet member for homelessness and regulatory service, said: "Buckinghamshire Council expects its licensed drivers to maintain high standards, comply with the law and protect public safety.

"Hackney carriage and private hire drivers are professional drivers charged with the responsibility of carrying the public.

"Any motoring conviction demonstrates a lack of professionalism and applicants with a conviction for a serious motoring offence can expect to have their application refused in line with our policy."

Under Buckinghamshire Council’s Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy, applicants with a major traffic or vehicle-related offence, such as one that has resulted in injury to any person or damage to any property (including vehicles), are not permitted to hold a licence for a minimum of seven years.