Call for urgent action to rescue Moray's high streets
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PEOPLE in Moray are being urged to do what they can to support local businesses in the weeks and months ahead.
Highlands and Islands Conservative MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston is backing his party’s calls for the Scottish Government to set out a Town Centre Coronavirus Plan to help stop closures and bankruptcies in towns across the country.
The hospitality, tourism and retail sectors are warning that thousands of jobs could be lost in the coming months due to the slump in demand and continued social distancing measures.
Mr Halcro Johnston has highlighted research from support charity Social Investment Business and journalism website Tortoise, showing spending data from debit cards in Scotland has fallen by 37% overall, only offset by a rise in grocery spending.
He said: "There is no doubt that we are now facing an economic emergency, which is compounding the Covid-19 health emergency.
"For instance, in Elgin spending has slumped by 29% since the end of March when compared with last year. I expect other towns across Moray will have experienced similar drops in activity.
"There are things that we can all do to help: spending money in local stores, supporting locally-run cafes, and paying for local traders to fix household appliances could be the difference between people joining the job queue at Christmas or staying on track to further their career."
He added: "Without radical action, we risk plunging Scotland into the deepest economic depression of modern times which will leave lasting and incalculable damage on the life changes of the young and the poorest in our society.
"As we ease lockdown measures hopefully in the coming weeks, I will certainly be encouraging everyone in Moray to support their local businesses and suppliers."
Meanwhile a leading expert on town centres policy has urged towns across Scotland to apply for new Scottish Government funding to support the recovery of local high streets.
Phil Prentice, chief officer of Scotland’s Towns Partnership and programme director of Scotland’s Improvement Districts, issued the plea following an announcement of a £2 million fund by Communities Secretary Aileen Campbell last week.
The £2 million Towns and Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) Resilience and Recovery Fund is in addition to the £1 million BIDs Resilience Fund announced in March. It is intended to support localised responses for high-street resilience and recovery.
Under the funding available now, local authorities and constituted groups such as development trusts, chambers of commerce and housing associations can be funded to resource agreed projects.
Eligible projects include physical distancing and personal protective infrastructure, "open for business" guides and maps, and e-commerce platforms to support local traders. Full details about how to apply can be found on the Scotland’s Towns Partnership website.
Mr Prentice said: "Our high streets aren’t just a series of buildings where things are bought and sold. The people who run local businesses are our brothers and sisters, our friends, our aunts and uncles, our neighbours.
"This isn’t just about keeping shop units occupied, it’s about supporting the very fabric of our society and community."
A national campaign will launch in coming weeks urging Scots to support businesses by thinking local first.
