This week in the Lords
Lord Blencathra Chair, Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, Chair, Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
My Lords, everyone knows that Uber is a thoroughly disreputable and exploitative company, and I warmly welcome the Supreme Court’s decision.
Will the Minister now ensure that Uber does not weasel out of its obligation to all drivers, past and present? Will he also encourage HMRC to go after it for its billions in back taxes, and will he bring forward urgent legislation to make sure that all companies in the so-called gig economy are no longer able to exploit the lowest-paid workers in this country? That is a thoroughly Conservative view of these things.
(Citation: HL Deb, 1 March 2021, c989)
Lord Callanan Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)
The noble Lord knows the tremendous admiration that I have for him, but I have to disagree with him on this. The thoroughly Conservative thing is that there is choice and competition in the market, and Uber has provided tremendous choice and competition, particularly in London. It is not just Uber—there are other apps as well. The monopoly previously enjoyed by black cabs was bad for the consumer. They were overpriced and Uber has been a thoroughly good thing for the market in London—so I disagree with the noble Lord on that one.
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Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council has announced the one-off grant payment of £500 for taxi drivers from monies allocated from Central Government.
Councillor Parwaiz Akhtar is the Chair of the taxi drivers’ forum. He said: "I am delighted the Council is helping the taxi trade at this extremely difficult time.
"Like a lot of businesses, they are struggling to make ends meet. It is important to support the trade now so there is a viable trade ready to go when restrictions start to be lifted."
https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/news/19127446.grant-available-taxi-drivers-cover-losses/
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Leeds City Council has announced details of a multi-million pound package of measures designed to provide much-needed support to hard-pressed taxi and private hire drivers and operators.
The council is making £2.5m available to fund free three-year taxi and private hire licence renewals for drivers, delivering a timely boost to a trade that has been particularly badly affected by Covid-19 lockdown restrictions.
Taxi and private hire drivers and operators with a Leeds business address will also be able to apply for £500 grants following the reopening later this month of a coronavirus support scheme for businesses with low fixed property costs. Support was also available for those working in the trade when the scheme was originally open last year.
Across the board, schemes being put in place by the council mean more than £7.5m worth of support is on offer to taxi and private hire drivers and operators.
https://southleedslife.com/financial-support-for-taxi-and-private-hire-trade/
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Oxford City Council will provide grants of up to £540 to help taxi drivers pay for licences.
The new grants – known as the home and mobile workers grant – will provide financial help for individuals who are legally required to obtain a licence to be able to operate their business.
The largest of these groups in Oxford are taxi drivers, who are legally required to get both a driver and vehicle licence from the City Council to be able to operate.
The driver licence ensures that drivers have a good driving record, are mentally and physically fit, and would not take advantage of customers. The vehicle licence ensure the taxi is safe to operate.
The grants will cover the cost of one one-year driver licence and/or one one-year vehicle licence for Oxford’s taxi drivers. This includes both new licences and renewals, and private hire and Hackney Carriage licences.
The one year cost for renewing a Hackney Carriage driver licence in Oxford is £122 and renewing the vehicle licence costs £415.
The City Council will fund the grants using the Additional Restrictions Grant, a discretionary fund that the Government provided to local authorities to support businesses severely impacted by the pandemic.
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