Highland Council has approved an independent, external review of how it handles licensing. Councillors agreed the plan on 5 November 2026. It follows a motion passed on 17 September, which came after the Licensing Committee decided in June 2026 to take no action on two taxi operator's licences held by David Brown. Mr Brown surrendered those licences on 3 August. The review will look at how the committee is run, training and support for councillors, how decisions are made on violence, domestic abuse, sexual offending and safeguarding (including the use of Police Scotland information), and whether the 'fit and proper person' test is applied consistently. It will not reopen individual cases or overturn past decisions. The Chief Executive will appoint an outside reviewer, and the review is due to start by the end of December 2026. An interim report is due before the end of March 2027, and the council's report puts the cost at around £50,000. The council has already separated the Licensing Committee's membership from the Licensing Board, appointed new committee members and trained them, and is looking at more training with partners including Police Scotland.