MSP Engagement
I met Caithness, Sutherland & Ross Constituency MSP, Maree Todd, in Ullapool’s Ceilidh Place to discuss a wide range of issues of interest and concern to members in her constituency and across the region as a whole.
It’s at meetings like these that our survey findings and numerous conversations with members about all sorts of issues come into their own come, for no-one else can speak with our authority. Our detailed knowledge, ability to quantify and summarise issues, and propose evidence-based solutions places us in an unrivalled position as ‘the voice of small businesses’, locally and nationally.
Our FSB Scotland ‘Big Small Business Survey’ is a case in point – I was able to give Maree breakdowns of key issues like the staffing crisis, comparing Scotland to the Highlands & Islands, Highland Council area, and Northern Highlands, and comparing tourism business (accommodation & food services) to all others.
Business Issues
Short-term Lets Licenses – The 1st October deadline is fast approaching and at the start of August worryingly few Highland businesses had applied – around 19% of the 10,000 that Highland Council anticipates. While it’s up to each business to decide whether to apply or not, every one that doesn’t reduces customer spend in its community, and that has implications for local shops, restaurants and other small businesses that rely on summer tourist spend to keep them alive year round.
I highlighted this in my August comment columns
Local Visitor Levy – We included questions about this in our FSB Scotland Big Small Business Survey and it is abundantly clear that H&I members are very wary, only 20% of all businesses supporting it and 9% saying that it would have a positive impact on their businesses and local economies.
I represented FSB members’ views at a roundtable meeting organised by the Cairngorms National Park Authority and attended by Tom Arthur MSP, Minister for Community Wealth and Public Finance, and FSB Scotland has submitted our own response to the Scottish Government’s consultation.
A9 Dualling – Population decline is a serious issue in the Highlands & Islands and we must make our economy as robust and vibrant as possible if we want to reverse it. Central to this is breaking down the remoteness barriers that discourage local young people from staying on and other young people and families from moving in.
Dualling the A9 is partly about safety, and partly about reducing driving times and stress for people travelling to and from the North of Scotland as a whole - bringing the North closer to the South. It really does matter.
I attended a roundtable meeting with the chair of the Scottish Parliament’s Citizens Participation and Petitions Committee, Jackson Carlaw MSP, at which we talked through the issues surrounding dualling and the absolute need for it.
Electricity Charges – Many members are very concerned about their electricity bills, particularly those who had to renegotiate them in 2022. I have been sending case studies on to colleagues in our UK Policy Team in London, who speak directly to the big companies and government.
Media Coverage
Using the media to share and promote the issues affecting members businesses is central to what we do, for we know that our comments are picked up by politicians and civil services both locally and nationally. In August I appeared on:
Reporting Scotland - talking about Booking.com’s failure to pay over money it had collected from customers on behalf of some businesses.
STV News - with FSB members Lesley McKenzie of Highland Farm Café & Cottages, Dingwall, and Kym Fraser of Hideaway Under The Stars in Aberlour, talking about the costs and benefits of going eco and the need for government support.
BBC Radio Scotland’s News for the H&I Bulletin – talking about our Big Small Survey results and how businesses are doing in 2023.
MFR News – talking about the need for cash to continue in the economy.
Local Papers
- Short-term Lets
- Wick Town Centre
- Dingwall Town Centre
- A9 Dualling
- Alcohol Pricing
- Features on a two FSB members – Audra Crilley of Help Management in Carrbridge and Neil Sykes of food4innov8ions in Inverness
Events & Opportunities
HIE and Council Grant Schemes for Businesses
Date For Your Diary - Accessing Funding For Your Business – We are joining forces with the British Business Bank to hold a major access to finance event in Inverness on Wednesday 25 October. A wide range of funders – most not normally seen in the Highlands – will be present and you will have an opportunity to talk to all. More details to follow.
Your Businesses Funding Needs – Highland Council, with support from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, is undertaking work to establish Highland businesses’ future funding needs - current access to funding, any gaps in provision, and potential options to address these. The survey can be accessed here. It closes on Monday 18 September.
As always, feel free to join us at any (or all) of our Virtual and In-person Networking events throughout September:
- Scotland Virtual Networking (Thu 21 September, 11am)
- Scotland Virtual Networking (Tue 26 September, 10.30am)
Comments or Queries If you have any comments or questions, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: [email protected] Mob: 07917 628983