Highland Council is due to consider a motion proposing an independent review of licensing decision-making at its full-council meeting on 17 September 2026.
The motion is headed Public Safety, Licensing Decision-Making and an Independent Review. It refers to public interest in a Highland Licensing Committee decision made on 23 June 2026 concerning taxi-operator licences held by David Brown. The motion says that decision was subsequently referred for reconsideration.
No final council approval for the proposed review has been recorded. The item before councillors is a motion seeking further work on how a review could be commissioned, rather than a completed decision to establish one.
The issues identified include public safety, safeguarding, transparency and the application of the statutory fit-and-proper-person test. The motion says elected members and members of the public have questioned whether decisions have been consistent and what weight has been given to Police Scotland objections and other public-protection information.
If taken forward, the review would be external and led by a suitably qualified person independent of Highland Council. Its suggested scope includes the operation of the licensing committee, chairing arrangements, advice and governance support, safeguarding, equality, training, accountability and transparency.
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The proposed remit specifically includes the handling of cases involving violence against women and girls, domestic abuse and safeguarding. The motion says licensing decisions are public-protection functions and that public confidence depends on safety and safeguarding being demonstrably central to the process.
It also recognises that transparency must be balanced with confidentiality requirements, including sub judice considerations where criminal proceedings are ongoing. The review proposal may allow interim changes to the committee’s operation or membership before final conclusions are reached.
Rather than appointing a reviewer immediately, the motion calls for commissioning proposals to be brought back to a subsequent council meeting. Those proposals would cover the terms of reference, governance, costs and resource requirements.
If those proposals were later approved, the motion envisages appointing a review chair and beginning work by the end of December 2026. An interim report is proposed by 31 March 2027, setting out progress, emerging findings and a timetable for completion.
The council has not yet approved the review, its final scope, budget or governance arrangements. Those matters remain subject to the proposed council process.
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