Rotherham Council joins Barnsley and Doncaster in offering taxi drivers a £500 support payment

Rotherham Council are the latest Local Authority in the Sheffield City region to announce individual financial support worth £500 per licensed taxi driver.

Support for taxi drivers within the region who have suffered a loss of income due to wider coronavirus related restrictions will receive the flat payment of £500 available to each licensed taxi driver.

This payment will be made from the £30m figure provided to Sheffield City Region to support the region's businesses, and follows similar industry support schemes earlier announced by both Barnsley and Doncaster Councils.

To qualify for the grant cabbies must have been licensed in Rotherham as of 14 October and be working in South Yorkshire.

Taxi drivers in Rotherham are being urged to apply for the grant support online by completing a claim form. The Council will then assess the claim and establish the level of support the business is eligible for.

The latest support package comes after both Northern Ireland and Scotland announced more funding for the taxi industry during the pandemic.

In Northern Ireland eligible taxi drivers will receive a bespoke one-off payment of £1,500 under the Taxi Driver (Coronavirus, Financial Assistance) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2020.