LOCAL BUSINESS BENEFITS FROM SURGE IN CYCLE TO WORK UPTAKE AT CAMMELL LAIRD.

Cammell Laird employees have embraced the government's cycle to work scheme, with unprecedented take-up of the tax-free bike initiative at the Merseyside shipyard and maritime engineering company.

Almost £75,000 worth of bikes and cycling equipment have been purchased through the scheme, on behalf of Cammell Laird employees, since it was launched at the company in early August. A third of orders have gone to Merseyside-based cycle shops in a bid to help support small, local businesses.

The government has urged more employers to make the scheme available to employees, to encourage safer travel to work and limit the need for journeys on public transport, in the wake of the UK's lockdown easing.

The scheme enables employees to ‘hire’ new bikes and safety equipment from their employers through tax-free salary sacrifice – with the ability to take possession of the bike at the end of the loan period. As well as offering a safer way to get to work during the COVID-19 outbreak, the scheme supports healthy lifestyles and helps to protect the environment.

Cammell Laird is working with Liverpool-based employee benefits specialist, My Benefits World to facilitate the scheme for staff. More than 10 per cent of Cammell Laird employees opted to sign up to the scheme in the two weeks immediately after launch at the company.

Richard Caton, Cammell Laird HR Director said, "We have been told by My Benefits World that this level of uptake is unprecedented in their experience for a company the size of Cammell Laird.

"It's fantastic that so many members of the Cammell Laird team have chosen to take advantage of the benefit and we hope it will support them to enjoy a healthier and more environmentally friendly journey to work. Our HR and Internal Communications experts have done an excellent job of sharing information about the scheme with staff and facilitating applications, despite the challenges of communicating with employees in the lockdown environment."

In light of the Cycle to Work scheme's success, Cammell Laird is now exploring additional salary sacrifice benefits to enhance the package of benefits it already offers to staff.