TWO private hire drivers have been suspended for failing to declare motoring convictions.

One was suspended for two weeks after he failed to declare a speeding conviction from November 2017.

Another driver was suspended for four weeks after the council discovered he was caught driving an uninsured vehicle last year.

He failed to tell the licensing authority about the major motoring conviction within the timescale required.

Councillors decided to suspend the private drivers at a meeting held in private on April 16.

Minutes from the meeting explain why the drivers were considered not to be “fit and proper” to hold the licence.

They said: “Drivers have a duty to declare convictions in accordance with the conditions of their licence.”

Members of the licensing sub-committee concluded that it was reasonable to suspend their licences as a warning and a deterrent.

The committee was concerned that one driver failed to declare his speeding conviction when he renewed his licence last September.

The offence only came to light when the council made enquiries to the DVLA and the driver had then been requested to submit a new declaration, which he did in November.

There was also a note on file that the driver had been signposted to the council’s website and given a guide on where to find the online declaration form in July.

The other driver, who was suspended for four weeks, declared his conviction 34 days late.

Councillors were concerned that driving without insurance was a “very serious matter”.

However, the man in question was not acting as a private hire driver at the time of the offence and had not used his licence for approximately nine years.

Another application due to be discussed by the committee was deferred until the next meeting to enable the driver to be legally represented.