In summary
There are so many great ways for FSB members to come together and make their voices heard. Take part in one of our great networking events, like the one at Bonnie & Wild in Edinburgh this month. Contact us about issues that affect your business, like the proposed Visitor Levy or Single Use Cups charge. Fife members can even be considered for a newspaper profile in The Courier!
Read on to find out more
Featured news and events
Midlothian Business Start-Up Grant
If you have started a business in Midlothian within the last year, you may be eligible for a start-up grant of up to £2,000. The Midlothian Business Start-Up Grant can be used for:
- market development, including website design and build and marketing implementation costs
- the introduction of new business processes, including ICT infrastructure
- capital expenditure that will improve their efficiency and capacity
- support for new products or services being introduced to market
To be eligible for this grant, your business must:
- have started trading in the last 12 months
- be registered with Business Gateway Midlothian
- sign up to the Midlothian Business Green Pledge
- be registered and trade in Midlothian
- pay your business rates and/or council tax to Midlothian Council
To find out more, click here.
Scotland Women In Business
Established in 2020, this virtual event aims to give attendees the chance to meet other female business owners to expand their business networks, discuss key issues and challenges they face in their businesses, in a constructive and confidential setting. Business owner and FSB Region Chair (Scotland), Pauline Weddell, will lead and host this meeting on 10 December. She will be joined by guest speaker Donna Christie.
In other news
East Lothian Investments
Small businesses in East Lothian can access interest free loans from East Lothian Investments (ELI). ELI is an arm’s length company of East Lothian Council and the fund is managed by employees of the council but governed by a Board of Directors. The board of directors comprises of two East Lothian Councillors and three private sector business people who provide their time free of charge to the company and who take the decision to award or decline loan applications.
Loans can be applied for up to £25,000 and are interest free with an arrangement fee of up to 7.5%. ELI is open to businesses at all stages and all sectors and types of businesses, including start up.
For more information, click here.
The Courier Small Business Focus Feature
Is your business based in Fife and would you like to feature in a print and online profile article in The Courier? FSB has an agreement in place with the local newspaper to feature FSB members from time to time, like the feature on John Young Signs that appeared in September. If you have a story to tell about yourself and your business, get in touch here and we can discuss a possible feature on your business.
Still in the news
Edinburgh Visitor Levy
The City of Edinburgh Council is aiming to be the first council in Scotland to introduce a Visitor Levy or ‘tourism tax’ and has now published its proposals for how the scheme would work. Anyone staying in visitor accommodation in the city, such as a hotel, guest house, B&B or self-catering would pay a tax of 5% per night, up to a maximum of 7 nights. The tax would be collected by the accommodation provider and paid to the council, which expects to raise up to £50m per year as a result of the levy. The council is hoping to get the levy up and running by mid-2026. You can read more about the plans here and take part in the council’s formal consultation here.
Your local FSB team is also organising a roundtable event in November to bring local accommodation providers together with the City of Edinburgh Council to discuss the issue face to face. If you’d like to take part, please contact us here.
West Lothian High Growth Start Up Grant
Businesses based in West Lothian which have started trading within the last 18 months can apply for a High Growth Start Up Grant of up to £4,000 to help bring new products to market, attend trade events or build capacity within the business. You need to be VAT registered or have a turnover of over £60,000, be in commercial premises and employ a minimum of one member of staff, or have the potential to create employment within 6 months.
To register interest and find out more please email - [email protected]
More news and activity near you
Get in touch
Your FSB Development Manager for the East of Scotland is Garry Clark. If you'd like more information about the topics above, or if you have news about this area that you'd like to share, please get in touch.
- email: [email protected]
- follow us on X: @FSB_GarryC
- follow us on Facebook
- Follow Garry on LinkedIn