Dudley Council provides one-off £2,000 taxi grant to help cabbies pay their costs

Dudley Council are now offering one-off payments of £2,000 to struggling self-employed taxi drivers who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

This is one of a number of grants being administered by the council to support businesses and offer a financial lifeline through the COVID crisis.

The generous £2,000 taxi grant can be used to cover business costs for self-employed licensed and private hire taxi drivers who live in the borough regardless of which council they are licensed with. There are some terms and conditions that apply.

Councillor Steve Clark, cabinet member for finance, said: “The borough’s taxi drivers have been hit hard by this pandemic, many seeing their trade reduce significantly.

“We wanted to give taxi drivers this one-off payment to help cover their costs and give them a financial boost to see them through these final months before restrictions are lifted.

“Grants are still available for other businesses too so I’d urge anyone who thinks they could be eligible to get in touch immediately.”

The taxi grants form part of larger grant funding schemes being offered by Dudley Council, which in part have provided 4,000 businesses with more than £19million in support.

Other grants are still available for businesses which have been forced to close due to national restrictions, including non-essential retail, leisure, personal care, sports facilities and hospitality sectors. There’s still time for businesses to apply for the funding before these grants close on 31 March.

People can apply online only and find further details by visiting the council's website at www.dudley.gov.uk and searching for business grants or search the same on Dudley Business First website at www.dudleybusinessfirst.org.uk.