After hearing allegations that the signature on a TM1form was not that of the proposed Transport Manager (TM), Traffic Commissioner (TC) Simon Evans adjourned a public inquiry to enable Wendy Pringle; a Director of Warrington based Tansey Coaches to attend.
Tansey Coaches, of Melford Court, Hardwick Grange, Woolston, Warrington, with a 10-vehicle international licence, had been called before the TC at a Golborne public inquiry.
The company was seeking to reduce the authorisation on its licence to four vehicles, to move its operating centre from Manchester Road to Bridge Road and to add Barry Bennett as a nominated TM.
Questioned by the TC about a TM1 form submitted in his name on 13 December, which was signed by Mrs Pringle, Guy Morgan said that the signature purported to be his on the form was not his.
He maintained that he had never signed any paperwork to become a TM for Tansey Coaches. He said he had originally had discussions in April or May when he was approached by David Bennett to become TM.
At David Bennett’s request he e-mailed his CPC to him. Subsequently they could not agree on the hours to be worked of what he was to be paid. He had known Barry Bennett for about 20 years.
Barry Bennett didn’t want to sort out the money side, saying that he just wanted him for an hour here and an hour there. As a result he just got fed up with it. His understanding was that Barry Bennett was running the business at one point. He did not recognise any of the writing on the TM1 form as his. He had never worked as a TM for Tanseys. He had driven coaches for them on occasions in the past. Darren Bennett had admitted to him that he had signed his name. He thought they were trying to save the business and did not realise the implications of what they had done. His signature was nothing like the signatures on the documents submitted.
Shown another TM1 form dated 4 April, Mr Morgan said that the signature on that was not his either. He denied there was any bad blood between him and Tanseys.
Adjourning the proceedings, the TC said that he had been informed that Mrs Pringle was currently medically unfit to attend. He had agreed to a request that the hearing be adjourned because he felt that because of the potential risk to the company it was necessary for her to attend.
