This month one of the Public Inquiries that we have attended in Cambridge involved a client where there was some rather difficult issues surrounding the case.
The client was very sensitive to these and really was not keen to be, as they saw it, ‘airing dirty laundry in public’.
The total opposite was in fact true. It explained the reasons that the Public Inquiry had been called in the first place. All the issues surrounding the case started as a result of this sensitive issue.
Traffic Commissioners are human.
This does not mean that the Traffic Commissioner is a pushover for any old sob story, far from it. However they are also reasonable human beings who understand that sometimes things happen and people can be distracted by personal issues.
Once the need to discuss a sensitive issue was put to the Traffic Commissioner they decided to hear the evidence relating to the clients issues in Private (also known as In Camera). That meant that only the client, their Solicitor and the Traffic Commissioner were left in the room. Everyone else, including any press, members of the public and us, had to sit outside whilst this was discussed. Once that matter was dealt with we could all come back into the room and the Inquiry continued with no mention of what had been discussed in that closed part of the Inquiry.
It’s all about trust – it is one of the golden questions.
The Traffic Commissioner in their summing up and in their judgement did highlight and gave credit to the client for being open and honest with them. they still have work to do to show that they are putting the operation back on track and keeping it so, which we are continuing to help them with, but this highlights the fact that honesty went a long way to helping the client keep their Operators Licence and gave the Traffic Commissioner the feeling that they could trust the operator.
Not the only case like this this year.
This is not an unusual case. AS Miles Consulting Ltd have had around half a dozen such cases this year, where sensitive issues have had an impact on a client and their business. By working with them in confidence, by helping them prepare for the Public Inquiry and by supporting them all the way they too have found that ‘honesty is the best policy’.
To know more of how AS Miles Consulting can help you and to arrange a no cost, no obligation meeting with one of our trusted Transport Consultants call in confidence our Head Office on 01455 389053 or email helpme@asmilesconsulting.com and let’s get a date in the diary to ask those Golden questions.