£2,000 grants to help Wolverhampton taxi drivers
Taxi drivers in Wolverhampton who have been significantly impacted by Covid-19 can apply for a grant of £2,000, council chiefs have announced.
Wolverhampton Council launched The Additional Restriction Grant – Taxi and Private Hire Grant Scheme to help drivers across the city.
It will see eligible drivers receive a one-off payment of £2,000. It is aimed at hackney carriage and private hire taxi drivers who live in the city.
Councillor Stephen Simkins, cabinet member for city economy, said: "Trade for Wolverhampton taxi drivers, like many other businesses, has been significantly impacted by the current lockdown and this new grant will provide a lifeline to them.
"Many small businesses across the city are in a similar boat and I would urge them to head to the business grants web-page and find out exactly what funding is available to them at this critical time.
"As a council we have ensured thousands of eligible businesses have had quick access to millions of pounds of vital funding to help them through this most difficult time.
Swiftly
"Working within the Government guidelines, we will ensure these grants get allocated as swiftly as possible as our city looks to recover from the financial impact of Covid-19."
Drivers must provide their badge details and they must have worked as a taxi driver for a minimum of six months to be eligible for the one-off cash boost.
Councillor Alan Bolshaw, chairman of the licensing committee, added: "This is a fantastic scheme that will help support many of our hard-working taxi drivers who have experienced great hardship during the pandemic.
"We are aware that this has been an incredibly difficult time for the trade and we will continue to do everything we can to help our drivers during this difficult period, within the rules allowed by legislation."
The taxi scheme is the latest of a number of grants administered by the council – which has seen £60 million paid out to Wolverhampton businesses throughout the pandemic.
Eligibility criteria and how to access the online application process for the taxi grant – and all the other support grants – can be found at www.wolverhampton.gov.uk/businessgrants.
People who need help or have a query should email business.grants@wolverhampton.gov.uk or call the business support phoneline on 01902 290242 between 9am and 5pm from Monday to Thursday or from 9am to 4.30pm on Fridays.
