Called to Cambridge for a goods vehicle or passenger vehicle public inquiry ?
If you’ve received a formal call up to a Cambridge public inquiry you will already know that you face a serious situation. Your business and reputation is at stake and you will normally be in need of very urgent expert legal assistance.
You can find more detailed information throughout our website about the procedure at public inquiries. But in a very brief summary, public inquires are formal legal hearings where the Traffic Commissioner hears evidence and listens to the case of an operator licence holder before deciding whether to take disciplinary action or refuse or grant an application.
The danger at any public inquiry is that a goods vehicle or passenger vehicle operator find themselves put out of business at the stroke of a pen.
Cambridge and The East of England Traffic Area
The Traffic Commissioner’s office at Cambridge is responsible for the East of England Traffic Area. The East of England Traffic Area covers a large part of the country from the Nottinghamshire border in the North to within parts of the M25 in the South and including the whole of East Anglia. It includes the counties of Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire.
Some of the main cities and towns includes are Cambridge itself, Luton, Leicester, Milton Keynes, Peterborough, Rutland, Southend-on-Sea, Thurrock, Basildon, Greys, Chelmsford, Braintree, Colchester, Kings Lynn, Ipwsich, Norwich, Harlow, Bedford, Southend on Sea, Lowestoft, Grantham, Boston, Sleaford, Louth and Lincoln.
There are more goods vehicle operator licences held by businesses in Cambridge than in any other Traffic Area in Great Britain. There are a total of 13,100 goods vehicle operator licences and 1,200 passenger vehicle licences overseen by the Traffic Commissioner at Cambridge.
Public Inquiries in Cambridge
There are two court rooms for hearing public inquiries in Cambridge and this is where the vast majority of them take place. Occasionally they may take place at other venues, but this is rare. The hearings will be heard by the Traffic Commissioner himself, currently Richard Turfitt is the Cambridge Traffic Commissioner, or one of his deputies.
Public Inquiries at Cambridge follow a procedure which is followed at public inquiries throughout the UK. You can find more information about the procedure in our website and you can of course contact us for more information.
In the year 2015/2016 there were a total of 252 goods vehicle and passenger vehicle public inquiries at Cambridge and in the East of England Traffic Area. Most of these involved only one operator, but some will have involved more than one operator called to attend the same public inquiry.
Results of Goods Vehicle (HGV) Public Inquiries at Cambridge
According to the latest figures available, for the year 2015 – 2016, there were 52 goods vehicle operators (30% of the total HGV public inquiries) who had their operator licenses revoked at Cambridge public inquiries. 8 operators had their licences suspended and 59 had their vehicle numbers reduced or other conditions imposed.
This means that 69% of those called to Cambridge public inquiries had serious disciplinary action taken. Only 9 operators (5% of the total) had no action taken against them at their public inquiry.
The situation with applications for new or variations to existing licences is that most (about 75%) are granted eventually. Usually this is once the applicants have taken legal advice and put in place measures which satisfy the Traffic Commissioner.
Results of passenger vehicle (PSV) Public Inquiries at Cambridge
The latest figures available show that there were only 14 passenger vehicle public inquiries at Cambridge in 2015 – 2016. Exactly half of these operators had their licences revoked, 1 had their licence suspended and 1 had its vehicles reduced.
Only 1 out of the 14 had no disciplinary action taken at all.
With regard to new applications for variations or new licences, there were 11 public inquiries held and 5 applications were refused, only 3 were granted without conditions.
What to do if you've been called to a public inquiry in Cambridge
The statistics above demonstrate how real and serious the potential outcomes of public inquiries are. Having the right professional legal support really can make a huge difference to the outcome of your public inquiry.
Your chance of a successful outcome at your public inquiry increases dramatically if you have experienced and skilled legal representation. So choosing a good transport solicitor is of vital importance. 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 and come away with a good outcome.
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 Cambridge and know exactly how to prepare and present a successful case. We've been doing it for years and have helped hundreds of operators through what is always a very difficult and uncertain time.
