Scottish Tory leader calls for high street rescue plan as public urged to spend

The leader of the Scottish Conservatives has called for a rescue plan for high streets hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

Jackson Carlaw said the Scottish Government should take "radical'' action to ensure the future of shops and high streets, which were already struggling before Covid-19.

Writing in the Scottish Mail on Sunday, Mr Carlaw urged consumers to spend money, saying there was still a risk the economy will not bounce back if the public are scared to part with their cash.

Radical action is needed, the Tory leader said, to stave off the "deepest economic depression of modern times''.

He wrote: "Nowhere is this crisis more likely to be felt than in the high street. I fear an autumn where Scotland's towns and cities are disfigured by boarded-up shops and pubs, with their owners having packed it in.

"I'm calling for the Government to spearhead a town centre rescue plan. The Welsh Government has already got one under way.''

The Tory leader also urged the Scottish Government to increase measures to stimulate the town centre economy, including easing outdoor drinking laws to allow bars and restaurants to "spill out onto pavements'' during the summer months or scrapping parking charges in towns across the country.

A messaging campaign, Mr Carlaw said, would also improve the chances of the beleaguered high street, with the Scottish Government urging people to buy local''.

He added: "Every decision we take, from spending money in local stores, to supporting a locally-run cafe, might be the difference between an apprentice joining the job centre queue this Christmas, or staying on track for a great career.

"Without radical action, we risk plunging Scotland into the deepest economic depression of modern times.''