After weeks of SNP ministerial foot-dragging, denials, excuses and inaction, and faced by a relentless campaign by Scottish Conservative MSP Edward Mountain and his colleagues, the SNP government has finally agreed that a way will be found to enable emergency grants to be made to small businesses, like many B&Bs, that do not have a business bank account.
This could have been sorted out many weeks ago, but at long last ministers have promised to act. It may however be too late for some small businesses, facing zero income but ongoing bills, burning through cash reserves and having to wait many more weeks before it becomes clear what the SNP route out of lockdown for Scotland is actually going to look like, and when they can restart business.
