Operator’s Licence Granted After Legal Entity Questions Answered Satisfactorily at Preliminary Hearing

This operator, represented by Barrister Helen Newbold, was called into the Office of the Traffic Commissioner for a preliminary hearing on their application for an Operator’s Licence.
The operator had recently merged two companies, who were operating as sole traders, into a single limited company. When applying for a new licence in the name of the new legal entity the Office of the Traffic Commissioner queried whether the change was to conceal a possible phoenix company.
Helen was able to take the operator through the history of the company in such a way as to ensure that the concerns of the Traffic Commissioner were completely allayed. As all other requirements had been confirmed as satisfied at the beginning of the hearing the licence was granted without the need for a full Public Inquiry and the operator was permitted to put their vehicles on the road immediately.