Scottish taxi drivers ‘short-changed’ by Nicola Sturgeon, claim Labour
Richard Leonard #RichardLeonard
Taxi drivers have been left in financial difficulty by the Scottish Government’s lack of sufficient support for the industry, Richard Leonard has claimed.
The Scottish Labour leader accused Nicola Sturgeon of ‘short-changing’ Scottish cabbies due to the delay to grants being awarded and to the total amount of financial support available.
In Northern Ireland, taxi drivers are able to claim one-off grants of £1,500, while in Wales grants of up to £4,000 are open to the industry.
Taxi drivers in Scotland will be able to apply for a one-off grant of £500 which will open for applications in January and comes after a discretionary fund for local authorities was created in November worth £30m.
In a response to a letter from Mr Leonard, the First Minister states the support from that fund has been delayed to avoid duplication of payments following the announcement of a specific, £19m fund for the industry, at the request of councils.
Mr Leonard reacted by saying the offer is “too little and too late” and said taxi drivers will be facing an “even bleaker Christmas” than prior to the announcement of a post-Christmas lockdown.
He added the delay to payments added “insult to injury” and called on the Scottish Government to match the funding available in Wales.
He said: “Nicola Sturgeon has short changed Scotland’s cabbies, with an offer that is too little and too late.
“It’s also possible that they will be called on again to ferry Covid infected patients to and from hospitals, given the discovery of this new strain of the virus.
“In light of this, it’s simply not enough to offer cabbies facing these very real risks just £500.
“The First Minister must also fast track this support so that cabbies get it as close to Christmas as possible, given the losses they are facing.
“A failure to do the right thing here would be to let down Scotland’s cabbies in the most difficult of circumstances.”
In her response to Mr Leonard’s letter, the First Minister said she understands the “particularly acute” pressures on the taxi industry.
She said: “I appreciate that the challenges facing this sector as a result of Covid-19 restrictions and regulations are particularly acute given the high fixed costs associated with operating and maintaining their vehicles.
“With our vaccination programme now in operation and the promise that this brings of reopening our economy next year, we are committed to supporting as many businesses and self-employed people through the difficult months that lie ahead and that includes taxi and private hire vehicle drivers.
“The specifics of this funding package and how it will be delivered are to be set out in the coming days but it is intended to support taxi and private hire drivers in meeting the fixed costs associated with operating their vehicles and other business expenses through the provision of a one-off grant of £500.
“We cannot make up for all the losses that businesses and self-employed people have and are experiencing as a result of Covid-19 given constraints on our funding but this additional financial support will provide an important an much needed source of support for taxi drivers and others through the challenging months ahead.”
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