Time running out for doing the business on Brexit transition says HIE
Badenoch and Strathspey businesses which have not yet prepared for some of the major changes facing them as a result of Brexit are being encouraged to do so as quickly as possible.
With time now very tight, they are being strongly encouraged to review the Brexit advice on the Scottish Government’s ‘prepare for Brexit’ website, where they will also find checklists and links to other resources.
The call comes from regional development agency Highlands and Islands Enterprise following publication of its latest business panel survey of more than a thousand firms across the region.
"While most are prepared for changes to routes to market, to supply chains and to regulations and standards, around a third are still unprepared for impacts relating to intellectual property and customs procedures," said Martin Johnson, HIE's director of strategy and regional economy.
“The fieldwork for this survey was carried out in October, so it’s likely that more preparation work has been done by businesses since then.
“While we welcome confirmation that most businesses do seem prepared for many aspects of Brexit, it is still very concerning that a sizeable proportion may not be.
“Responding to the pandemic has understandably hampered the preparation efforts of many firms and we now have Christmas blocking out time before the deadline, but there are still useful steps businesses can take.
“The Scottish Government’s ‘prepare for Brexit’ website provides valuable information, advice and checklists to help businesses and links to other resources, as does the UK Government’s Brexit transition page.
“We encourage anyone who has not yet done so to check out these sites and do what they can between now and 1 January.”
The survey report also highlights many of the impacts that the pandemic and associated restrictions have had on the region’s businesses. It shows a very different picture from this time last year but some slight improvement in the past few months.
Four in five businesses (82%) expressed confidence in their viability over the next six months, up from 75% since the previous survey in June. However, almost a third (31%) of tourism businesses, one of the hardest hit sectors, are not confident about their future.
HIE’s Business Panel Survey reports are available online at hie.co.uk/research-and-reports.
The next wave of the survey is due to take place in February 2021.
