The Traffic Commissioner’s (TC) office said it warned Northampton Borough Council a month before its O-licence expired that it would be unable to operate LGVs unless it paid for a renewal.
The comments came after it emerged the council had been operating goods vehicles without a valid licence for almost a fortnight after it went out of date on 30 November 2013. Councillor Mary Markham said the first the council knew about the licence needing renewing was when it received a letter stating it had expired.
However, a spokesman for the office of the TC said it had written to the council on 30 October: “This document informed the licence holder that payment to renew its licence was due to be made by 30 November and warned of the consequences of failing to complete this transaction, specifically that the licence would terminate and the local authority would have no authority to operate goods vehicles in the East of England.”
The spokesman added: “Responsible operators should have robust systems for ensuring that key dates for compliance are met, including renewing their licence authority.
“Staff working for TCs will always look to assist and advise operators in relation to their licence activity but, as a matter of fairness, the responsibility for ensuring compliance with licence conditions lies with the operator, irrespective of whether the operator is a private business or
a public body.”
The office of the TC confirmed it had received a new application from the borough council for a restricted licence authorising seven vehicles.
