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Highland small businesses get help package after FSB campaign





The Scottish Government has announced new coronavirus support for smaller businesses and self-employed, following representations from the Federation of Small Businesses.

The federation’s Highlands development manager, David Richardson, told the Strathy: “The remote, rural nature of much of the Highlands & Islands means that we have a higher proportion of self-employed workers than elsewhere in Scotland, and we also have a higher proportion of our workforce engaged in tourism-related businesses.

David Richardson, FSB Highland spokesman
David Richardson, FSB Highland spokesman

"There is no doubt that this region is more vulnerable economically to the damage caused by the current crisis than many other parts of the UK, and protecting local businesses and communities is vitally important.

“While we don’t know all the details yet, these new measures, which come after campaigning from the FSB, will undoubtedly help a great many Highlands & Islands businesses and the self-employed, and, by extension, the fragile communities in which they live and operate.”

The £220 million package includes specific help for the newly self-employed; smaller chains; businesses with acute short term cash-flow problems and for other firms excluded from existing help.

FSB wrote to Holyrood making the case for an extended package of measures for operators excluded from existing support initiatives, as well as those that believe the help insufficient.

Colin Borland, FSB’s director of devolved nations, said: “This new Scottish Government package should plug some of the most obvious and dangerous gaps in coronavirus support for smaller firms and the self-employed.

“For those that were due to receive nothing – like the new self-employed and some home-based and vehicle firms – this new help could be a lifeline. For others – like smaller chains – it could provide a critical top up to the money already in the pipeline.

“This help looks more flexible than previous schemes, and Ministers in Edinburgh deserve credit for adjusting the help on offer following feedback from firms and the FSB.

“We’ll need to see the swift deployment of this cash. And this looks unlikely to be the end of the story. If we want as many firms as possible to make it through this crisis, then governments north and south of the border may be required to provide additional rounds of help.”


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