Driving ban man checked on taxis

Feb 22 2009 by Phil Doherty, Sunday Sun

A NORTH councillor sat on a committee that dished out warnings to taxi drivers for not having the right documents . . . while his own were not in order.

As the Sunday Sun revealed last week James “Oscar” Jones was found guilty of dangerous driving, having no insurance and driving on a provisional licence without supervision.

Now Middlesbrough Council is coming under fire for not checking his documents.

This was despite issuing a written request telling councillors that they must produce their driving licence, MoT and insurance documents when using their vehicle on council business and claiming mileage expenses.

Independent councillor Joan McTigue said: “They should have been checking all licences, MoTs and insurance regardless of whether they were claiming expenses.

“But councillor Jones’ licence was never checked.

“It’s even worse as he was on the committee that handed out admonishments to taxi drivers for not having the correct documentation.

“It’s possible the council could have been held liable if an accident happened while he was on council business.

“Other councillors have also said that their documents have not been checked either, and this is worrying for a four-star council. How many years has this been going on?”

Jones, who has been on the council for six years representing the North Ormesby ward of Middlesbrough, handed in his resignation this week following his trial in Teesside a fortnight ago.

The 63-year-old has diabetes and made a mistake with his blood sugar level reading on the day he had an accident that led to his conviction.

It caused him to take too much insulin and he slipped into an coma, crashing his car into a van on the A19.

Magistrates decided he was driving dangerously because he should have ensured he was fit to drive before getting behind the wheel. He was banned for two years and fined £1000.

A Middlesbrough council spokesman said: “As a result of an internal audit in May 2008 we instigated a process reminding councillors that they must provide their documents to the council if they are going to claim mileage.

“They were told claims submitted without documents would not be paid.

“Councillor Jones made no mileage claims in 2008 and so no checks were necessary.”

Mr Jones he was not available for comment.

http://www.sundaysun.co.uk/news/north-east-news/2009/02/22/driving-ban-man-checked-on-taxis-79310-22980716/

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