Call for new Highland Council to forge stronger ties with small businesses
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The next set of Highland councillors must ensure that the local authority continues to strengthen its ties with smaller firms, the region's leading business organisation has said.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) wants the new council to place economic recovery "front and centre" in its plans for the coming years while at the same time forging closer links with the business community.
The aims are set out in the FSB's manifesto for the council election on May 5.
The organisation's development manager for the Highlands and Islands, David Richardson, said: “Over the past two years we’ve witnessed countless hard-pressed small Highland businesses step up to the plate to deliver the essential support and services that their communities needed most, and we’ve seen Highland Council staff deliver a wide range of important grants aimed at keeping alive many of the businesses hardest hit by the pandemic.
"While no-one was prepared for Covid, the commitment from both parties was obvious, and both were able to think outside the box to overcome major obstacles.
“But that was then. Now, as we emerge from the pandemic – hopefully for the last time – it is vital that the lessons are not forgotten and that Highland Council continues to strengthen its ties with the region’s smaller businesses.
“And it’s a good-news story, for in 2021 the Highlands’ 10,650 registered small businesses [registered for VAT and/or PAYE] contributed £3.4 billion to the local economy and employed around 41,950 people. Add the countless unregistered small businesses and the contribution is far, far higher.
"These businesses really matter, but the number of registered small Highland businesses has increased by only 15 [0.1 per cent] since the last council election in 2017, as against a 1.3 per cent increase for Scotland as a whole.
“If we want to reverse the ageing and declining population trend that is blighting much of the Highlands, we must make this region the go-to place to set up and grow businesses, and Highland Council has a really important role to play."
Mr Richardson said the manifesto points to some "simple but powerful measures" that the new council can implement to make the Highlands more small-business friendly, including:
- Investing in the Highland economy by spending even more money with local businesses when procuring goods and services
- Boosting town centres, especially by blocking out-of-town developments and returning its staff to their offices to encourage spending in shops rather than online
- Supporting smaller businesses on their journeys to net-zero
- Helping businesses start up and grow by investing in and supporting the Business Gateway service
- Creating joined-up online systems for licensing and non-domestic rates
- Researching first to ensure that new initiatives like the short-term lets scheme do not do more harm than good
Mr Richardson added: “Let’s hope that, come the next Highland Council election in 2027, we can all look back on the preceding five years with pride. There’s all to play for.”
FSB Scotland’s manifesto is entitled Power of Local: Scottish Local Elections 2022.
