...A POSTCODE LOTTERY
Doncaster: To claim the £500 grant drivers must: • be licensed in Doncaster as of 14 October 2020 • operate in the South Yorkshire area • provide bank account details for payment which belong to the applicant licensed taxi driver - payments will not be made to a third party bank account
Rotherham: To claim the £500 grant drivers must: • be licensed in Rotherham as of 14th October 2020 • be working in South Yorkshire • Please note that existing drivers who were not licensed on the 14th October 2020, but had made a complete RENEWAL application by that date, will still be considered eligible for the grant provided they had paid their renewal fee and provided all necessary documentation before 14th October.
Sheffield: To claim the £500 grant driver must: • hold a valid taxi driver's licence issued by Sheffield CC • have worked as a taxi/PH driver up to and including 13 October 2020
• live in South Yorkshire or bordering area THE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS GRANT (ARG):
This is a new grant recently announced by the Government which is aimed at supporting businesses that are not covered by other grant schemes or where additional funding is needed.
Local councils have the freedom to determine the eligibility criteria for these grants. However, the funding is expected to help those businesses which – while not legally forced to close – are nonetheless severely impacted by the restrictions.
SOME councils, such as those listed below, are allowing self-employed taxi and PH drivers to apply for this grant so keep checking your local council’s website for updates.
WARRINGTON BOROUGH COUNCIL:
To provide support to the town’s taxi/PH drivers, the council is offering a £210 support payment in line with the Liverpool City Region. This grant is intended for drivers who have suffered adverse financial impact during coronavirus restrictions in place in Warrington from 14 October 2020.
Drivers with a current licence issued by Warrington BC and who live in Warrington can access the grant through the council’s existing Additional Restrictions Grant, but drivers have been told they only need to complete questions relevant to their circumstances to get the grant.
HULL CITY COUNCIL:
All licensed taxi and private drivers were emailed to advise them that they can claim a £500 grant through the council’s Additional Restrictions Grant as long as they meet the criteria.
DECEMBER 2020
However, Peter Nisson, Chairman of Hull Hackney Carriage Association, told PHTM: “The application form takes over 30 minutes to complete and is extremely complicated which is putting many drivers off from even applying. They are asking for so much inform- ation, such as copies of self-employed tax returns, bank statements, two years’ accounts and their unique tax reference number. Drivers must also have a business bank account and have adhered to EU Covid-19 safety directives. “In reality it is impossible for most of them to meet the criteria. I contacted the council but have been told by the business support team that if drivers do not complete the form in full they will not get the grant.”
★ ★ BREAKING NEWS ★ ★
Basildon: All Basildon hackney and private hire drivers will receive a £1,000 grant from the ARG Scheme plus access to a fund for screens, credit card machines and pump sanitisers. Wales: The Welsh Government have given access to two grants for all hackney and private hire drivers – see full story page 19.
CONCLUSION:
MOST councils, including Manchester and Birmingham, have already stated there is no money left for grants for drivers.
Furthermore, in some areas where grants have been issued, whilst those councils issue licences and take fees from drivers who live and/or work out of area, the criteria put in place excludes those drivers from claiming the grant.
HOWEVER, some councils are already seeing a reduction in driver numbers with shortages now reported in some areas. It is therefore clear that without substantial, easily accessible financial support there will inevitably be consequences… irreversible consequences not only for our industry but also for the travelling public nationwide.
PHTM therefore once more implores Central Government, Scottish Government and local licensing authorities to listen to our plight and urgently allocate the financial support needed to sustain our industry and its drivers through this pandemic before it’s too late...
Otherwise there will be no industry left to support!! PHTM believes in the resilience of our trade. PHTM believes in fighting for the survival of our industry.
YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED! 7
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