Small Business Saturday 2022

Part of the debate – in the Scottish Parliament at on 1 December 2022.

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Photo of Paul McLennan Paul McLennan Scottish National Party

I thank Michelle Thomson for lodging her motion. As she said, small business Saturday is in its 10th year in the UK. This weekend I will visit many small businesses in my constituency, as many other members will visit small businesses in their constituencies.

Michelle Thomson mentioned that there are about 360,000 private sector businesses operating in Scotland and that about 70 per cent of those businesses involve sole proprietors or partnerships. Therefore, we can see that there is scope to support and grow our small business sector much more.

The Economy and Fair Work Committee has just published its report, “Inquiry into Retail and Town Centres in Scotland”, which is highly relevant to this debate. The committee welcomed the Scottish Government’s policy refresh and its renewed focus on Scotland’s town centres and the retail sector. It also welcomed the Scottish Government’s retail strategy, which the Minister for Public Finance, Planning and Community Wealth announced a few months ago, and the establishment of the retail industry leadership group.

As we know, retail is an extremely important sector for Scotland’s economy. The independent retail sector, in particular, plays an increasingly important role. Many of Scotland’s retailers are looking to diversify and to embrace new channels for selling. I will say more about that shortly.

In its report, the committee stated:

“There is strong demand amongst Scotland’s smaller retailers for more and better support to build their online presence and be able to take advantage of platforms and expertise that already exist.”

I have seen that in my home town of Dunbar, which, with support from traders and the community council, has launched a website, ourdunbar.com. That has gone down really well and has resulted in increased trade.

The Scottish Government has committed £100 million to help businesses to improve their digital skills, capacity and capability. It has also committed to supporting improved broadband capacity and mobile connectivity in towns and town centres to improve local digital platforms. That is incredibly important.

The committee also mentioned that it is vital that a broader range of opportunities is made available to upskill, strengthen and future proof the retail workforce. National and local government must do more to support that.

Business gateways are incredibly important in supporting businesses to establish and grow, especially in the first year or two, when they need a bit more support. We need to identify measures that can be taken nationally and locally to increase uptake, and to consider how Business Gateway’s offering can be expanded and improved.

Scotland’s towns are individual; there are six or seven main towns in my constituency and they all have their own distinct identities, communities, histories and futures. Every town has its story, and communities can be and are motivated by the expression of that unique story to drive forward change and improvement. We know that that works when there is a common purpose and community drive to shape the town, and there are lessons to be learned from everybody in that regard.

What is important is that every town and its community are empowered to create a vision with a focus on achieving that through a long-term town plan. I know that several towns in my constituency are looking to take advantage of that opportunity. To help with that, we must remove barriers and ensure that support, including appropriate advice and financial support, is available at all stages of development.

The town centre first principle in planning—which the Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee has discussed with the minister on a number of occasions as part of its consideration of national planning framework 4—is key and will continue to be so. I think that that has been broadly welcomed across the spectrum.

With any new proposed out-of-town developments, it must be demonstrated that town centre sites have been pursued and thoroughly evaluated, and that the development will have no adverse impact on town centres and will not compete with town centre provision.

I welcome the Scottish Government’s consultation on permitted development rights and the intention to support the creation of a new general town centre use class, which gives town centres more flexibility to develop.

We need to see more transparency in the ownership of town centre property. I know that we have all had issues with land or properties that have been sitting unused in town centres for years because we cannot trace the owners. That is a particular issue. Local authorities have a range of powers to tackle derelict or dangerous buildings, as came up in discussion of NPF4. We must encourage local authorities to do more in that area.

Small businesses are the heart of our communities: we all need to do more to ensure that they thrive.