Tewkesbury Borough Council has successfully prosecuted two individuals for offences relating to licensing of private hire vehicles.

On 22 January 2024, Mr Mahomed Kala of Massey Road, Gloucester, Director of Gloucester Cars Limited, pleaded guilty to being a licensed private hire operator and using an unlicensed driver to carry out work for the company.

Mr Kala was fined £224 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £90. He was also ordered to pay £500 costs to the council.

On the same day, Mr Iqbal Moolla of Hatfield Road, Gloucester, pleaded guilty to being the driver of the vehicle, operating as a private hire driver without a licence.

Mr Moolla was fined £65 and ordered to pay a victim surcharge of £26. He was also ordered to pay £500 costs to the council.

Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Lead Member for Clean and Green Environment, Councillor Sarah Hands, said “Our primary concern in matters such as these is public safety.

“Our licensing team regularly carries out checks to ensure all private hire vehicles and drivers are licensed and safe for the public to use. Without these checks public safety would be jeopardised.”

Tewkesbury Borough Council brought the case to prosecution following contract compliance checks undertaken by Gloucestershire County Council officers on 22 May 2023.

Tewkesbury Borough Council’s Licensing team worked on the prosecution with assistance from both the council’s Counter Fraud and Enforcement Unit and One Legal, a legal service shared by Cheltenham Borough Council, Gloucester City Council, Stroud District Council and Tewkesbury Borough Council.