North & West Taxi Proprietors Ltd 2023 Annual Retum [Covering period 1st February 2023- 31st January 2023] Trustees Report Charty Name., North & West Taxi Proprietors Ltd Charity Registration No: NIC107310 Company No: N1040029 Address: Ralh Mor Centre, Bligh's Lane, Derry, BT48 OLZ Trustees: Andrew Mccartney Terrence Page Introduction This report outlines the activities, financial position, and operational highlights of North & West Taxi Proprietors Ltd for the period from February 1, 2023, to January 31, 2024. As community group dedicated to supporting individuals in becoming self-employed, especially as laxi drivers, we aim to provide essential training, support and services that empower our clients to achieve economic independence. OurAlm North & West Taxi Proprietors runs an Advice & Support Centre that provides advice, help, training, 8UPPOrt, technical assistance, and advocacy support to people who are unemployed, self-employed, and economically inactive with a view to helping them into self-employment and sustaining their self-employment. We also deliver wellbeing programmes when funding is available. We also deliver community support to other areas of need: knee & hip replacements, blue badge applications and a range of other issues. Strateglc Prlorlty 1- Run an Advlce & Support centre Deliver advice, help, training, support, technical asslstance and advocacy to the self-employed, unemployed and others needing our support with a view to helping people into work and lo sustain their work. Deliver technical support to people who struggle with IT issues (online issues) Strateglc Prlorlty 2 - Dellver Self4mployment support services Develop & deliver support services to help people sustain their self-employment Develop and deliver training & support services that assist people into self- employment Deliver advocacy seNices on behalf of stakeholders strateglc Prlorlty 3 - De15ver Back to Work Plan Develop training and programmes that assist people back to work Network with partners to create employment opportunities Develop the provision of personal development programmes and plans to assist people getting back lo work. Strategic Priority 4- Look after the wellbeing of stakeholders Develop programmes that look after the wellbeing of stakeholders Develop programmes that look after the wellbeing of our community Network wilh other city stakeholders on wellbeing, community safety, nighttime economy, purple badge and other relevant issues. Specific Programrnes 5nclude: Advice & Support Prograrnrne - Helps people explore opportunities, check benefit calculators and get help with employment, unemployment and related issues. Self*mployment SUPPOrt services - Helps people with HMRC and other related issues. Helps people to sustain their self-employment and keep their responsibilities. Helps people who fall ill and need assistance with benefits. New Taxi Driver Training - Helps people to pass the taxi theory & driver tests and become taxi drivers (there is currently a lack of taxi drivers). This programme is supported by Jobs & Benefits, Success NW, Causeway Coast & Glens Council and others. Back to Work Programme - which works creatively to assist people overcome the hurdles in getting back lo work. This programme is supported by Jobs & Benefits and others. We have a specific taxi version also for those entering the taxi industry. Returnlng to work after a medlcal Incldent- a support and advocacy programme that assists people through a process when returning to work (heart attack, TIA & other) Taxl Tralnlng - Taxi training to help improve taxi services locally and keep taxl drivers safe. Operatlonal Overvlew During the past year, we have made significant strides in supporting our community: Advlce & Support Programme - Our drop-in ￿ntre continues to be a vital resource to our community" we have a heavy footfall which indicates that there is still a huge need within our community, We have completed over 2,000 face to face appointments and answered over 2000 phone queries in this timeframe. Although we specialise in self-employment, unemployment, and back to work schemes, we have dealt with a wide range of issues: Knee & hip replacement schemes, blue badge, insurance, DVA & HMRC compliance and other. Self4mployment support programme - We successfully assisted over 70 individuals in becoming self-employed, with 60 of those entering the taxi industry. Our bespoke training programs and advocacy services have been pivotal in this success. We have also supported over 300 people with issues helping them to suslain their self-employment. We have helped over 60 people with unemployment issues. We have developed a good working relationship with Jobs & Benefits offices in the Northwest and take their referrals. We have also started working with Success NW getting referrals. New Taxi Driver Training - People struggle to pass the new taxi theory & driver tests and become taxi drivers {there is currently a lack of taxi drivers). Our bespoke training is working successfully, and the results are good. 60 people passed in this period and became taxi drivers. The programme is supported by Jobs & Benefits, Success NW, and others. Back to Work Programme -we have assisted 70 people to overcome the hurdles in getting back to work. This programme is supported by Jobs & Benefits and others. Returning to work after a medical incident- Our support and advocacy programme has assisted 10 people through a process when returning to work after a medical emergency (heart attack, sleep apnoea, TIA & other) Taxl Tralning - 200 Taxi drivers availed of our training to help improve taxi services locally and keep taxi drivers safe. We have dealt with PSNI, DVA, CCI, council and others regarding passenger safety, night-time economy, purple badge for the cty, and some specific incident5. We continue to be a conduit between the local taxl Industry and local authorltles. We also network wlth the regional taxi industry. We have had a lot of requests to help people with online issues. Taxi Licensing, HMRC and Universal Credit is all done online now and we find a lot of people struggling and afraid to make mislakes. They are also afraid of online scams. We are also helping people with a range of other issues, Entrance and repute issues in the taxi industry, Blue Badge applications, advice on knee & hip replacements, insurance issues and benefit & pension issues. We have dealt with many people needing advice, help and assistance with the closure of Working Tax Credit and the move to Universal Credit. Despite reducing operational hours, we maintain a high footfall, demonstrating the ongoing need for our services. Community Impact: Feedback from our stakeholders indicates a strong demand for our advice & support services. We are committed to ensuring that our resources are utilized effectively to address the needs of the community. Flnanclal Overview 1. Funding Sources We received grant funding from the Big Lottery totalling £31,859.00 in restricted funds, which contributed to our operational costs. The funding from the Big Lottery was aimed at helping us to become more sustainable. Additionally, we generated £31,112.00 in unrestricted funds, showcasing our ability to diversify funding sources despite the challenges faced. 2. Expenditure Our spending included £31,825.00 of restricted funds and £26,812.00 of unrestricted funds on agreed costs, aligning with our budgetary plans and the objectives set out in our grant agreements. 3. Current Financial Status As of the end of th18 reporting period, we currently have no active funding but continue to operate with the support of dedicated volunteers and two self- employed personnel. This model allows us to remain flexible and responsive to the needs of our communty. Challenges and Adjuslments Reduced Funding: The lack of ongoing funding has necessitated a reduction in operational hours. However. we remain focused on delivering high-quality support within these constraints. Volunteer Reliance: Our reliance on volunteers is crucial. We contlnue to actlvely engage and recruit volunteers to ensure that we can meet the needs of our stakeholders without compromising the quality of our services. Future Outlook Funding Strategy: Moving forward, we a￿ exploring new funding opportunities and partnerships to sustain and potentially expand our serlices. We aim to apply for additional grants and engage with local businesses and organizations to create collaborative initiatives. Service Expansion: We are assessing ways to enhance our training and support programs, particularly in response to feedback from our clients regarding the services they find most beneficial. Concluslon Despite the challenges posed by reduced funding, North & West Taxi Proprietors Ltd remains committed to seNing our comrnunity. The support we provide is critical in helping individuals navigate the complexities of self*mployment and improve their livelihoods. We are grateful to our stakeholders, partners, and volunteers for their unwavering support and dedication. Recommendations The board is encouraged to explore additional funding avenues and communty partnerships to ensure the continuity and enhancement of our services. Prepared by: Andrew Mccartney Director North & West Taxi Proprietors Ltd 02871362556, andrew@nwtp.org