Scott Blair secures success in licensing decision case

Terra Firma advocate Scott Blair has secured success in a licensing appeal in a decision from Sheriff Braid at Edinburgh Sheriff Court which reiterated the importance of concise, comprehensive and clear reasons in licensing decisions.

Mr Blair acted for the successful appellant taxi driver who appealed a decision not to renew his licence. Although the appellant had a recent conviction for careless driving arising from a collision with a child on a pedestrian crossing, that did not prevent Mr Blair from arguing that Midlothian Council had failed to give sufficient reasons to support the view that the appellant was no longer a fit and proper person to hold a licence.

Sheriff Braid agreed with Mr Blair that the reasons given failed to provide any evaluation of the considerations which the council purported to rely on or in what way it had balanced the seriousness of the offence against the previous good record of the appellant.