The ‘legal representative’ asked to be paid in cash before the PI, and then failed to attend
Though holding that Huddersfield-based Kalwant Singh, trading as Tandem Travel, had failed to meet the required financial standing for his two-vehicle National O-Licence, Traffic Commissioner (TC) Tim Blackmore adjourned proceedings after Mr Singh’s “legal representative”, who had been paid £1,200 in cash, failed to attend a Leeds Public Inquiry (PI).
Mr Singh had been called before the TC over concerns about finance, vehicle maintenance and operation without a Transport Manager (TM).
The TC granted him a period of grace over finance until the hearing is relisted after Mr Singh had taken further legal advice.
Mr Singh said that the person concerned had come to his house to discuss the case. He had asked to be paid in cash. Mr Singh had tried constantly to telephone him the day before the hearing, but he did not answer his phone calls.
The TC said that following a previous adjournment of the case there were some issues over the status as a solicitor of the person concerned. The Traffic Area had tried to contact him without success.
There was a chance that Mr Singh had been “had” by some sort of fraudulent activity.
The issues in the case were serious ones. The proposed TM had not attended, and the TC would expect to see him on the next occasion. A lot of information that had been requested had not been provided.
The vehicle maintenance documentation produced was unsatisfactory and Mr Singh had not demonstrated he had the £12,000 required for a two-vehicle O-Licence.
He had only provided a snapshot of four days in a savings bank book. He had been asked to bring evidence that he had been paying the proposed TM and that had not been produced. The TC would expect to see bank statements on the next occasion.
Mr Singh said that he had been so stressed that he had left his vehicle maintenance wall planner at home.
After Mr Singh had said that it was cash only business, the TC said that he needed to be clear how he was running the business and Mr Singh must have a record of the cash payments for his tax return.
Adjourning the hearing, the TC said that Mr Singh had been catastrophically let down and it would be unfair to proceed. The case would be relisted as quickly as possible.
