Taxi boss calls for ‘fare’ funding deal after nerve agent attackhttp://www.salisburyjournal.co.uk/news/ ... nt_attack/
A BUSINESS owner says she was “horrified” to receive an email saying she was “jumping on the bandwagon” after applying for relief funding and is calling for more support for taxi drivers in the city.
Cathy Cooper, who runs Fare Ladies, received the email last week, which was sent to her by mistake after submitting an application to the fund set aside to help businesses recover in wake of the nerve agent attack.
She said: “I’m a small business in Salisbury that has lost a lot of revenue. The footfall has dropped, it’s just horrendous.”
Mrs Cooper says she had not heard anything after submitting an application until receiving the email last week.
“How dare they say ‘jumping on the bandwagon’,” she said.
“The first four weeks’ footfall was tarnished. There was no trade at all. I can’t believe the response I have just had.”
The taxi firm has been running for four years and Mrs Cooper believes she lost about £1,000 of revenue over the period after the nerve agent attack.
The email also questioned whether Mrs Cooper had been “proactive in doing any recovery for her work”, but she says she has done “everything in her power” to make up the money lost, working extra hours in the morning and evening. As a lone female she said she did not want to do the Saturday night jobs.
I’m horrified. If they had politely said that ‘you’re not in the right category’ I would have accepted that. It is horrendous they have got that attitude, people like that shouldn’t be in charge.”
She added: “I’m getting on track a bit now. I made an effort to do more different times. I think we all should be given something, we’ve all been in the same position.
“I have genuinely lost revenue and thought I had a claim.”
Cathy says free parking in the city and events like the OVO Energy cycling have also impacted on trade for taxi drivers.
She believes there should be more help and support for taxi drivers and that they are being “overlooked”.
“All taxi drivers in Salisbury get a hard time. Give us a break.”
Alistair [edited by admin], chairman of the Salisbury recovery coordinating group, said: “I apologise to Miss Cooper on behalf of Wiltshire Council for any offence caused as a result of the unacceptable wording used by an officer in an email to her. The council has always made it very clear that it will support businesses affected by the unprecedented incident that occurred on March 4.
“The recovery coordinating group has been working closely with Salisbury businesses, particularly those directly affected, to ensure that they have the support needed to aid their recovery. We widely promoted the funding and assistance available, and all funding requests received have been assessed thoroughly against robust criteria to ensure that funding is allocated as required and where appropriate.
“The application received from Miss Cooper was thoroughly assessed and did not meet the criteria for financial support, although we have advised her that should her business situation change a further application can be submitted and advice sought from the council.
“Since the incident, more than 40 businesses affected in the city have received £122,975 of hardship rate relief and business support grants of £173,929. A further £50,400 grant requests are currently being processed.”
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