Reopen grant scheme to support taxi drivers, union demands
The Unite Scotland trade union has called for a grant scheme to be reopened (Jane Barlow/PA)
A taxi driver grant scheme should be reopened because a third of cabbies have missed out, Unite Scotland has demanded.
The trade union has accused the Scottish Government of “withholding” £19 million in unawarded grants from the £57 million Taxi and Private Hire Driver Support Fund that has now closed.
But Finance Secretary Kate Forbes has instead pledged to give a second grant worth £1,500 to taxi drivers who received the first one – if the SNP government is re-elected.
Reopen grant scheme to support taxi drivers, demands Unite Scotland scotsman.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from scotsman.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
A disgrace : Ministers under fire for withholding £19m of Covid support for Scots taxi drivers MINISTERS are under fire for withholding taxi support cash as drivers face a postcode lottery of support during the pandemic. Unite Scotland is furious after it was told that the an underspend of £19m on the vital fund has been reallocated - despite an original mix up over who is eligible. It is estimated around 25,333 eligible drivers out of an estimated 38,000 drivers across Scotland applied for the £1,500 grant. It comes after the launch of the fund at the start of the year was branded farcical because it emerged that drivers on universal credit would not be able to apply.
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