The office of the Traffic Commissioner for the North East of England is located at Hillcrest House in the Harehills Area of Leeds. The address at Harehills House will be familiar with operators all over the country because this is also the location of the Central Licensing office which deals with operator licence applications throughout the whole of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
The current Traffic Commissioner for the North East of England is Kevin Rooney who has been in position since 2012. Mr Rooney is, as of the 1st November 2016 to take over as the Traffic Commissioner for the Western Traffic Area in Bristol. Until a replacement Commissioner is appointed Mr Rooney will administer both traffic areas.
All operators called to a goods vehicle public inquiry or a passenger vehicle public inquiry whose operating centres are within the North East Traffic Area are dealt with from Leeds. Most of the hearings take place in Leeds though sometimes the public inquiry hearing itself may take place at venues in other places. This is usually where there is particular local interest such as where members of the public have raised objections to an operators licence.
What's covered by the North East Traffic Area ?
The North East Traffic area covers a large part of the country. It covers ground from the East Midlands up to the Scottish borders and large swathes of the East coast. The following counties all come under the North East Traffic Area :
Northumberland; Durham; Tyneside and Wearside; Teeside; West Yorkshire; East Yorkshire; South Yorkshire; North Lincolnshire; North East Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
This area covers many of the great towns and cities of the North of England including Newcastle, Middlesborough, Sunderland, Leeds, Bradford, Sheffield, Doncaster, Rotherham, Barnsley, Wakefield, Scunthorpe, Grimsby, Nottingham and Hull.
There are about 11,600 goods vehicle operator licences and 1,560 passenger vehicle (PSV) operator licences issued within the North East Traffic Area.
Public Inquiries in Leeds
Public Inquiries are held in Leeds in one of two court rooms which are located on the second floor at Hillcrest House.
Public Inquiry hearings will be heard by the Traffic Commissioner himself or a deputy Traffic Commissioner. You can read more about the public inquiry process on our page called About Public Inquiries.
According to the latest annual figures, there were at total of 75 passenger vehicle public inquiries and 150 goods vehicle public inquiries during 2014 / 2015. Of the passenger vehicle public inquires, 50 were for disciplinary action against the operators licence and 26 for new applications. 93 of the goods vehicle public inquiries were for disciplinary action and 63 for new applications.
Outcomes of Passenger Vehicle (PSV) Public Inquires in Leeds
Result of disciplinary public inquiries :
Out of 50 public inquiries for disciplinary action, 25 (50%) had their operators licence revoked. A further 3 (6%) had their licence suspended and 2 had their vehicle fleets reduced. 12 got away with only a written warning and only 6 (12%) resulted in no action being taken at all.
Result of applications heard at public inquiry :
There were 26 public inquiries dealing with new applications. Of these 7 (22%) were refused outright, 3 were partially granted and 16 were granted in full.
Outcomes of Goods Vehicle (HGV) Public Inquiries in Leeds
Result of disciplinary public inquiries :
Out of 93 public inquiries considering disciplinary action for compliance issues, 30 (almost a third) resulted in the operators licence being revoked / terminated. A further 11 resulted in suspension and 21 in a reduction of the number of vehicles authorised. This means that in two thirds of goods vehicle public inquiries dealt with at Leeds for non-compliance, resulted in the licence being terminated, suspended or cut back in size. Of the remaining third, nearly all had a formal warning. On 4 got through with no action being taken at all.
Result of applications heard at public inquiry :
63 applications were dealt with at public inquiries in Leeds for the year. 52 of these were granted. 5 were refused and 4 were partially granted.
What to do if you've been called to a public inquiry in Leeds
First of all, recognise that any public inquiry called for any reason is a very serious thing. Secondly recognise that getting legal advice and having an experienced transport law solicitor on your side is half the problem sorted. A good transport law specialist will be able to get stuck into your case and do all sorts of things to get you ready to face the Traffic Commissioner.
We strongly recommend that you speak to us urgently if you've had a call to public inquiry. Nearly all of our clients (well over 90%) have a successful outcome at their public inquiries.
We regularly handle public inquiries at Leeds and know exactly how to prepare a successful and present a successful case. We've been doing it for years and have helped hundreds of operators through this difficult time.
Call Simon Newman on 01302 775522. I will be glad to talk through your situation and review your papers free of charge to enable you to make an informed decision about whether to get us on board.