News

A bid for a new licence for three vehicles and three trailers by St Helens Commercials following the dissolution of a predecessor company has been turned down by the North Western Traffic Commissioner Beverley Bell.

The director of the company was John Swain and the company secretary was Janice Swain. They had held the same positions at JLS Carriers. The nominated transport manager for St Helens Commercials was Terence Smith, who had been the transport manager of JLS Carriers and who worked  40 hours a week as a driver for Wincanton.

The TC said JLS Carriers was dissolved in May 2006 yet the licence was renewed in August 2006. The payment was made by St Helens Commercials, a company whose licence she had revoked in December.

Tom Nash, general manager of St Helens Commercials, said that although he took a major part in the business he was not named as a director because he was in the process of being divorced and did not want to show the business as an asset his wife could take into account.

Barry Cadden, managing director of Allplant & Haulage, who had applied for a licence for 15 vehicles and four trailers, said he was there to support Swain. He was going to rent some space in Swain's yard and St Helens Commercials would maintain his vehicles.

He agreed that he was a director of Castle Hill Transport, but had no knowledge that that company had had a licence revoked in the South Eastern area and that he had been disqualified from holding  an O-licence.

The TC said the financial documents produced showed that St Helen's Commercials was dishonouring cheques. How could she grant a licence to a company that was already dishonouring cheques, that wanted to employ a full-time driver as transport manager, that in reality had another director who was not declaring that fact in an attempt to circumvent matrimonial proceedings, and which was supported by Cadden whose evidence raised more questions than it answered?