Sheffield suspends Uber licence after it fails to respond to council

Uber has lost its licence in another UK city, just days before its next hearing in a battle to remain in London.

Sheffield, the UK’s fourth-largest city, has become the latest local authority to clamp down on the ride-hailing app.

It has had its licence suspended, from 18 December onwards, after it failed to respond to requests for information, the council said.

But Uber has blamed the council for an “administrative error”, saying that former UK boss Jo Bertram, who holds the current licence to operate taxis in the city, was leaving the company and that the council had been informed of this.

A new application for a licence was submitted in October, but the company said that if this was not approved on time it would appeal the suspension from the city.

The council said the current licence holder had failed to answer questions sent by the licencing team about its management.

It comes as Uber gears up for the next part of its fight to retain a licence in London, a process which London Mayor Sadiq Khan has already said “could take years”.