Glasgow’s licensing rules on imported vehicles will be reviewed, after a private hire driver said he didn’t have enough money to buy a replacement car.

Cllr Alex Wilson, SNP, who chairs the city’s licensing committee, told Qomandan Sadat that Glasgow has a policy where vehicles from abroad aren’t accepted as “we do not know the vehicle history”.

He said the driver’s imported car couldn’t operate in the city — and he would either have to get another vehicle or apply to work in a different council area.

Mr Sadat complained that he does not have the money to buy another car, and claimed licensing officials had said his vehicle would be accepted.

Cllr Wilson said he had asked officials to look again at the policy on imported vehicles, but he couldn’t guarantee changes would be made in time for Mr Sadat’s application.

The committee agreed to continue the case to allow the driver an opportunity to find a substitute vehicle. Mr Sadat said other local authorities accept imported cars, adding: “I spent money so now I do not have any to buy another car.”

In response, Cllr Wilson said: “With regards to your vehicle, Glasgow has a policy where we don’t accept imported vehicles. That’s something that would have to be looked at. In the meantime, we cannot accept your vehicle as a car that can operate within Glasgow.”

He added: “The reason we don’t accept imported vehicles is that we do not know the vehicle history and that’s the problem. I think we could look at it in terms of a long-term change of policy, but our policy just now is stricter than any of the other local authorities.

“It doesn’t matter about Edinburgh, South Lanarkshire, East Renfrewshire and what they do. They clearly do not run the same guidelines as Glasgow.”

The driver, who claimed he had been told in a phone call that the car would be accepted, suggested the council should refund him for any money lost.

Cllr Wilson said the council “doesn’t have any money with which we could actually do that. At the moment, we are looking at an imported vehicle where we do not know its full history,” he added.

“I understand this vehicle might be MOT’d, it might have gone through many service checks, you may have a full service history, it may be a brand new vehicle. 

“But at the moment, Glasgow does not have a policy where we can accept that vehicle. That policy may change going forward. That isn’t really going to be very helpful for you today. 

“You’ve got two options, you either go and work for one of the other local authorities, or you bring a substitute vehicle.”