Call For Scottish Business Secretary To Represent Small Firms
The next Scottish Government should appoint a business secretary to represent the interests of small firms, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has said.
The next Scottish Government should appoint a business secretary to represent the interests of small firms, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has said.
The organisation, which has around 19,000 members in Scotland, has called for the creation of the new post in a manifesto in advance of next year's Scottish Parliament election.
The FSB points out that the UK Government model separates the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Business Secretary.
It said the time was right for Scotland to follow suit as new fiscal responsibilities are transferred to the Scottish Parliament next year.
Andy Willox, FSB Scottish policy convenor, said: Scottish small businesses need an advocate at the top table, distinct from the person who holds the
country's purse strings.''
The FSB also wants local economies to be treated as a priority, with more investment in communities and better information on how they are performing.
Mr Willox said: Headline economic statistics suggest that Scotland has made up some ground since the downturn. But these figures tell us nothing about the reality of doing business in Portree, the job prospects in Perth or the high street in Paisley.
If the next administration is committed to a fairer and more prosperous
Scotland, they must get under the bonnet of individual communities.
They must develop new ways to turn around failing places and ensure that local economies aren't perilously dependent on a small number of mobile large employers or industries.
We need to build communities that are more resilient to global economic shocks - and that means spreading our risk by broadening and strengthening our small business base.''
The organisation wants the Scottish public sector to spend 10% of its procurement budget with businesses with fewer than 10 employees by 2021, arguing the move would bring an additional £250 million into the country's smallest firms every year.
Mr Willox said: Evidence shows that procurement spending with smaller firms delivers more for local economies.
We believe that asking Scottish public bodies to spend one in 10 procurement
pounds with micro businesses over the course of the next parliament is a realistic and achievable target.''
The manifesto also calls for reform of the business rate system, action to improve broadband and mobile coverage, better online services for businesses and financial penalties for public bodies that close local offices and buildings.
Business Minister Fergus Ewing said: Many of us in the Scottish Government,
including myself, were running our own small businesses before being elected as MSPs.
I believe that enables us to understand their perspective, views and desires and the problems they face.
That is why, for example, we introduced the small business bonus which now
benefits very nearly 100,000 businesses with lower business rates - and which we have already pledged to continue through the lifetime of the next Scottish
Parliament, if we are re-elected as the Scottish Government next May.
We very much welcome the FSB contribution to the debate and look forward to continuing to work with the FSB to discuss their ideas over the coming months.''
A Scottish Government spokesman said: We welcome and actively consider proposals designed to boost sustainable and inclusive growth across Scotland as a whole.
These recommendations will feature in our on-going dialogue with FSB Scotland officials and members, recognising that the Scottish Government is already investing in business support, digital infrastructure, and the Small Business Bonus Scheme.''