Taxi Driver Online

Plea to help 'struggling' taxi drivers is snubbed

https://www.greenocktelegraph.co.uk/new ... deaf-ears/

A COUNCILLOR'S plea for help to be granted for struggling taxi drivers has been turned down.

Chris McEleny has hit out after he was unable to secure specific support for drivers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the number of fares plummets due to public health restrictions.

Mr McEleny asked council bosses to defer the renewal of taxi applications for three months with no cost to drivers.

But his request was thrown out at an emergency council meeting.

Councillor McEleny said that many cab drivers in the area have had to make the decision to come off the road due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with those that continue to work seeing a big downturn in trade.

Councillor McEleny said: "Lots of taxi drivers have spoken to me about how difficult life is at the moment.

"There may be support from the UK Government if they are self employed but this won’t come until June at the earliest.

"Many taxi drivers have made the decision that they can’t continue to work at the moment.

"Those that are still working are out there helping vulnerable groups continue to get their shopping and supporting essential workers in getting to work – it is for that reason I thought they too deserved support from the council.

"I am disappointed the council has chosen not to support taxi drivers in the area."

Council chiefs say they have taken steps to assist the taxi trade and added that the proposal will be considered as part of the council's coronavirus future recovery plan.

An Inverclyde Council spokesperson said: “Councillors voted against Cllr McEleny’s proposal but agreed that it will be considered as part of wider support for local businesses in the council’s coronavirus future recovery plan.

“In the meantime, the Policy & Resources Executive Sub-Committee decided to approve the changes to the way civic licences are renewed.

“The changes are contained in the emergency Coronavirus (Scotland) Act 2020 introduced by the Scottish Government.

“The act says that applications to renew taxi driver and taxi/private hire operator licences, and all other civic licences, to 30 September 2020, can now be lodged, for coronavirus reasons, up to three months after the licence has expired.

“A range of support is available to assist businesses and those who are self-employed who have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

“To find out how to access support, visit www.inverclyde.gov.uk/covid-19/business-support.”

So if your licence happens to expire at this time then you could potentially delay applying for three months, until things pick up, and it might be treated as a renewal rather than a new application.

But the power is purely discretionary - it just means councils *can* treat late renewals as such, not that they *must*.

Like I'd risk not applying to renew my plate in a restricted area, in the hope that in three months time the council would simply treat it as a renewal

Some councils are just clueless and shameless.

I'm not convinced about the legality of a universal extension, but I'm not important.

Councils just need to extend all licenses for three months. Do it now and many many driver's stressful situations will be solved.

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IDFIMH