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Joint working is paying off for businesses - for The Inverness Courier

OVER the past two weeks I have been using the parliamentary summer recess to spend a lot of time in smaller communities across Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.

It gives me the chance to talk to local people about issues affecting them.

There is a huge amount of positive news to report. While the national news is that the recession is likely to be prolonged, at a local level businesses and business organisations are making the best of what is looking like a good tourist season.

In Inverness, around Loch Ness and in the Cairngorms, it is striking the way that businesses are now working together with each other and with public sector and community organisations to boost their areas.

The Inverness Business Improvement District (BID), Destination Loch Ness and the Aviemore and Cairngorms business group, are all delivering tangible benefits to their communities and to the local economy.

Spending a morning walking around the city centre with Stefan Krause of BID, it is clear its work is making a real difference.

But there is lots more to be done to make the city centre more attractive. The Streetscape is a major improvement, but some of the streets not touched by it — such as Academy Street — look tatty by comparison.

And Stefan rightly pointed out that the state of many buildings above eye level lets the city down. But if we can keep the momentum going after Streetscape, there are good grounds for optimism.

Likewise, more businesses around Loch Ness are joining DLN. Its work to improve the product and marketing around the loch is helping to ensure more is made of what is easily Scotland's best known location around the world.

I hope their bids for funding for path and cycleway improvements are successful. Government at all levels need to be more supportive of these efforts. For example, quite a few people mentioned Labour's plans to put new taxes on holiday let accommodation.

Self-catering accommodation plays a significant part in the Highlands, especially in small communities.

People work long hours to maintain their properties, whether it is a couple of lets or a chalet park.

The proposed ending of the tax rules for furnished holiday lettings would be bad for tourism here. While these rules may provide a loophole some people with second homes are abusing, the proposed change is a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

There will be a strong local response to the consultation and I will work to persuade the government to change its plans.

We also need to improve the transport situation for tourists around our main visitor areas. The laybys along Loch Ness-side on the A82 need urgent improvement, not left in a state of disrepair.

Bus services also need to be improved — especially in more rural areas. Many local businesses have reported the inadequate services as off-putting for some visitors.

Most frustrating of all is the way so many local firms are still being let down by the banks. Despite the promises by both the government and senior bankers that they will maintain or increase lending to small business during the recession, the reality is very different for too many firms.

Far too many good enterprises that are doing well have reported to me that the bank is either cutting back their lending or substantially increasing the charges for the same service.

While the bankers are happily getting back to the outrageous bonus culture that caused so many of the current problems, they are making hard-working firms pay the price. This is unacceptable, and needs to be dealt with by the Treasury.

Farming plays a large part of the local economy too. Farmers are working hard in difficult conditions but the government is not helping.

The failure of UK ministers to fight for changes to the sheep tagging rules will mean an extra cost for many hill farmers. And we need ministers to get on with putting in place the supermarket ombudsman to protect farmers from unfair practices.

I have plenty of surgeries and visits over the next few weeks, so if there is anything you would like to discuss please come along. If you can't make it, write to me at 45 Huntly Street, Inverness, or e-mail [email protected] and I will do my best to help.

Posted on: 11/08/2009