Part of General Question Time – in the Scottish Parliament at on 8 January 2026.
Roz McCall
Conservative
I note that the Minister stated that the assessors are independent, but independence is not an excuse for indifference. Although assessors set the value, the Government can set guidance and policy. The licensed hospitality sector supports 65,000 jobs, pays £1.2 billion in wages and generates more than £2 billion of economic value for Scotland.
Despite the warning by Stephen Montgomery from the Scottish Hospitality Group that current outdated methodology will hit local hospitality businesses, and despite one of that group’s members facing a 550 per cent increase in their non-domestic rates, the minister still refuses to use the powers at his disposal.
Will the minister commit today to making the changes that are needed to support our high streets? If not, how many empty shopfronts and lost jobs is he prepared to accept as the price of his inaction?
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