Scottish Conservative shadow finance secretary Donald Cameron has spoken out after another Scottish business owner attacked the SNP over a lack of support for small firms during the coronavirus pandemic.
Michael Lumsden, who runs a spa business across the country, said there was growing disparity between what the SNP was providing to retailers and what was happening elsewhere in the UK.
The PURE Spa and Beauty director said he’d spoken to numerous businesses in England which had already received their full £25,000 grant to mitigate the impact of Covid-19.
In a letter to MSPs, he said: “Unfortunately the changes to the retail, leisure and hospitality grants implemented by the Scottish Government have made the administering of the £25K grants by councils unnecessarily slow. Our businesses cannot afford such unnecessary delays caused by bureaucracy.”
Mr Cameron, a Highlands and Islands MSP, said: “It is now beyond doubt that the SNP’s package of support for small businesses falls well short for far too many. This is another hardworking business owner whose properties would fare far better if they were based south of the border."
“That’s not an acceptable situation for the Scottish Government to create and is affecting firms here in the Highlands and Islands where we have many more small and medium sized businesses."
“We know this is a health crisis first and foremost, but the economic disaster is following closely behind. These firms need support right now so they can thrive once we come out the other side of this pandemic.”
HCUA Comment:
The additional and wholly unnecessary changes to the retail, leisure and hospitality grants implemented by the Scottish Government have made the administering of the £25K grants by Local Authorities unnecessarily slow. This is highlighted by the Finance Secretary own figures, which indicate an average grant awarded in Scotland so far of £11,757, showing that very few £25K grants are being issued. Worse still, the new £18,750 grants cannot even be applied for until May 5. Our businesses cannot afford such unnecessary delays caused by the bureaucracy which the SNP is choosing to impose.
