Salford taxi and private hire drivers offered £500,000 financial support package

Image credit: Pixabay

Salford taxi and private hire drivers have been offered cash support to help them during the coronavirus pandemic.

Salford City Council has taken the decision to allow taxi and private hire drivers, licensed with Salford City Council, to apply for a one off £500 grant.

The support package worth more than £500,000 will be open to 1,087 drivers in the city.

The council has chosen to open up the Additional Restrictions Grant (ARG) to include the drivers due to the significant impact coronavirus has had on their industry.

The ARG funding is provided from government to support businesses that have been required to close but aren’t liable for business rates or have been severely affected by restrictions.

Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “Taxi and private hire drivers have been hit extremely hard by the coronavirus pandemic. I hope that allowing them to access the ARG grant will provide the help that they desperately need.

“The ongoing restrictions have meant the city’s taxi and private hire drivers have suffered the worst trading period in a lifetime. I appreciate that the grants alone are not enough and along with our local MPs we will continue to lobby government to get fair funding for all our businesses in the city.

“I’d like to thank our taxi and private hire drivers for continuing to provide such a vital service to residents during the pandemic. It has been a lifeline for residents to get them to places such as frontline work, vital hospital appointments and vaccination centres.”