Steven Mather v Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors

Facts

The appellant, Steven Mather, was a trainee driving instructor who had held two trainee driving instructor licences, running from 29 April 2025 to 27 April 2026, granted so that he could gain sufficient experience to pass the Part 3 test. On 6 March 2026 he applied to the Registrar of Approved Driving Instructors for a further, third trainee licence. The Registrar refused that application by a decision dated 17 April 2026, having considered representations received from the appellant on 26 March 2026. The appellant's representations were that during the currency of his first licence his wife had been diagnosed with a serious illness, that supporting her through treatment left him little time to develop his instructing skills, and that the same difficulty persisted during his second licence, obliging him to cancel a Part 3 test booked for 20 October 2025. The Registrar's reasons included the absence of any evidence supporting the account of medical appointments, that almost twelve months of trainee licensing was more than adequate, and that the trainee licence system must not become an alternative route to registration as an approved driving instructor. The appellant appealed by notice dated 24 April 2026 to the First-tier Tribunal (General Regulatory Chamber).