..IN THE
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NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL BLASTED BY CABBIES OVER SCHOOL CONTRACTS PAYMENTS
Taxi drivers and company bosses are angry with North Lanarkshire Council over its handling of payments for home- to-school contracts during the lock- down. A number of them have contacted the local press com- plaining about the council paying them 20 per cent on the contract rather than 75 per cent. In April, the council had advised opera- tors
via the
partnership which issues contracts on its behalf that they would be paid 75 per cent of the con-
tract value until 24 June: “on the condi- tion that [they] have not accessed alter- nate national fund- ing programmes” such as the Coron- avirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS). One driver said: “I have two school contracts so my income has dropped from £1700 to £300. Other councils have paid contractors 75 per cent so I don’t know why North Lanarkshire Council have decided to give us 20 per cent. “The school con- tracts and airport hires were my main source of income
but both of them have gone.” One taxi operator has had a response from the council regarding the 20 per cent payment. The letter says: “I can advise that
the
council agreed to pay 20 per cent of the contract cost for the period April 1 to June 24, 2020, based on the fact that contractors can apply for the various Government port
sup- and relief
schemes available for self-employed persons. “In the current Covid-19 circum- stances, you would not incur any fuel costs, wear and tear on your vehicle(s) and may be able to s u spe nd/adj u s t vehicle insurance cover
associated
with school trans- port contracts. “I can advise that a 75 per cent payment of the contract cost was agreed for SPT bus operators. How- ever, this is subject to reduction if the company has fur- loughed staff/made a claimon any of the
Government Sup- port
Schemes
available. “Other local authori- ties have made their own decisions on how much to pay contractors during this period. Many local
authorities
have also included conditions relating to their payments andwill not pay con- tractors if they are in receipt of UK Gov- ernment support.” A council spokes- man added: “We recognise that the health emergency could have a signifi- cant
impact on
businesses of all sizes and that there
is a need to support providers of ser- vices so that they are better able to cope with the cur- rent crisis and to resume normal ser- vice delivery when the outbreak is over. “We believe we have taken a reasonable approach with the taxi operators and we have encouraged them to apply for the existing sup- ports and grants for self-employed busi- nesses, as well as provided them with information from our business sup- port team which can offer advice on grants and loans.”
I want to personally reassure you that SEIB Insurance Brokers are taking all necessary steps to ensure that we are here to support you through this Coronavirus pandemic.
Our teams continue to work remotely and have SECURE emails. We will be able to continue to respond to you as usual.
we can to keep you protected in these troubled times.
change daily.
help
Barry Fehler
JULY 2020
BREAKDOWN COVER · LEGAL EXPENSES · PERSONAL ACCIDENT GAP COVER · LIABILITY · CYBER COVER · PUBLIC & EMPLOYERS’ LIABILITY
*Terms and conditions apply. 15
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