Scottish government extends grant support but is warned move does not go far enough

The Scottish government has extended grant support to businesses working across multiple sites with a combined rateable value above £51,000, but UKHospitality has warned the move does not go far enough.

The industry body said the move was "disappointing", given no support has yet been given to businesses occupying a single property with a rateable value of more than £51,000.

UKHospitality executive director for Scotland, Willie Macleod, said: "This is a disappointing move by the Scottish government that will see too many businesses in dire need of support continue to be excluded from the grant scheme.

"There is still no grant support for those businesses occupying premises with a rateable value above £51,000. These businesses have been hit just as hard as any other. They are not being shielded from the effects of Covid-19 simply because their premises are more highly rated.

"These businesses have had no revenue since lockdown began on 23 March, are incurring significant costs while closed, an average of £60,000 per month, and are at severe risk of going out of business altogether with the potential loss of thousands of jobs.

"We hope that these businesses will be able to help spearhead the economic recovery of Scotland once the crisis has passed. They will not be able to if they have gone out of business before they have a chance to reopen. Grant support must be extended to these businesses, otherwise we are going to see even more failures and more people unemployed."

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