FSB Scotland

The Highlands are aiming to follow Edinburgh by introducing a Visitor Levy for overnight stays in the region. We are urging Highland Council to take extra time to develop more robust plans. The levy has the potential to deliver extra targeted investment to further improve the experience of visitors to the Highlands. However, we believe more work needs to be done to secure the support of the small businesses who will be key to making it a success. We have submitted a formal response to Highland Council's consultation on its plans. Our recommendations include allowing time for a full assessment of the impact on smaller accommodation providers, such as B&Bs and hostels, as well as caravan parks and camp sites. We are also asking the local authority to publish a detailed plan for how the funds generated would be invested to improve the Highland visitor economy. Mike Duncan, FSB Development Manager for North Scotland, says: “The tourism industry in the Highlands is fragile. It is still recovering from the pandemic and has the added challenge of being seasonal. “There is a great deal of uncertainty about the impact of the levy, especially on many of the small accommodation providers who are such a large part of the tourism industry in the Highlands. “What happens to those who are pushed above the VAT payment threshold by virtue of the fees they collect on behalf of the council? That would generate the legal requirement to register for a second tax, VAT, and adhere to extra UK Government legislation. “There are also concerns about the potential impact on caravan parks and camp sites. With the proposed levy making licenced sites more expensive, this could inadvertently encourage the less desirable types of camping that Highland communities are worried about.” A Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) would not only allow fuller consideration of these risks and potential mitigations, but also an assessment of whether a levy lower than the proposed 5% may be affordable, reducing any impact on business turnover. Mr Duncan adds: “Businesses need to be convinced of the benefits of the proposed levy. Developing and publishing an investment plan and delivery programme could go a long way towards doing that. “The expectation of tourism businesses is it will focus on improvements to infrastructure and facilities across the Highlands, as well as business support, visitor attractions and destination marketing. “It is vital the small businesses who will be responsible for collecting and administering the levy have a voice when it comes to these decisions, including on the Forum required to be set up in order to steer decision making on levy revenue investment. FSB will continue to work constructively with Highland Council to ensure the concerns of these businesses are heard.”

We are having a fantastic networking session at our office in Glasgow! Great to see many small businesses and self employed people coming together to make new connections and have catch ups 👍 Massive thanks to our member volunteer Guy Hinks - Professional Photographer Multi Award Winning for hosting. We have our team supporting the event as well Hisashi Kuboyama Daniel O' Brien Stacey Dingwall Euan McGrory Charlotte Newell Our new events system is up and live now, so check what’s coming in April and book your place now! https://lnkd.in/eB2RMUy9 Thanks to everyone who came along - we hope you enjoyed the event! Carolyn Dobie Alan Foster Noel Fenech AFIAP Alan C Harper Riza H. Lewis Macleod Steve Maguire Danny McBride Gail McCarthy - Photographer Graham McCarthy Iain McPherson Fran Robertson Colin McKeand Edgar Brincat Eliska Ruzickova Grant Thomson Michael Harrison Dale Bulloch Tony Parris Alaa Adil MCIM Vali Dudekula

While confirmation today of signs of another slight improvement in the performance of the Scottish economy in January are welcome, there remains a pressing need for the governments in Scotland and Edinburgh to retain a laser focus on driving growth. Our latest Small Business Index showed confidence among small businesses in Scotland at its lowest level since the pandemic in the final quarter of last year. There is a long way to go to build it back up. The opening up of UK Defence contracts to smaller firms, a move advocated by FSB, is a step in the right direction with the potential to support more jobs in Scotland.

😍 We love it when a plan comes together🏗️ FSB Scotland was delighted to introduce STV Group plc (North East & Tayside) to KR Group (Scotland) for this fantastic news feature 🎥

Community Wealth Building might sound a like a woolly concept and one that is likely to be more well-intentioned than effective. However, it has the potential to deliver huge benefits for local businesses and communities - provided it is delivered well. We welcome the introduction of the Scottish Government’s Community Wealth Building Bill as an opportunity to ensure tens of millions of pounds more in public money is spent locally each year. It is an opportunity to tackle the low proportion of public sector spending that currently goes to the smallest businesses. That can be best delivered through the introduction of binding targets for procurement spend with SMEs to boost local economies. Welcoming the Bill, FSB’s Scotland Policy Chair Andrew McRae said today: “We know that every pound of public money spent with local companies generates far greater benefits, in terms of supporting jobs and the wider community, than those spent with national and multinational firms. We welcome the Community Wealth Building Bill as a huge opportunity to back local and boost communities up and down the country. “If Scotland’s councils, health boards and other key public sector organisations were to increase their local spend by even a few percent, we know it would bring tens of millions more into the Scottish economy per year. That is money that will create more jobs and more training opportunities. “It is clear the only way to ensure we maximise the benefits of Community Wealth Building is to introduce statutory targets and obligations around procurement spend with small, local businesses. The alternative risks seeing the progress that has been made in some areas in recent years faltering, or even worse, slipping back. “The full benefits of Community Wealth Building will only come by embedding new systems and behaviours, not sticking with the status quo. It is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss.”

Schoolchildren used to dream of being doctors, teachers and footballers. They still do, of course, but there is another aspiration that is growing among teenagers which might surprise you - to be their own boss. For the first-time, being self-employed has featured near the top of a major survey of young people's goals. It goes to show that the perception of those who work for themselves is changing - but will Rachel Reeves show them the same respect in her Spring Statement? Our Director of Devolved Nations Colin Borland has written in The Herald Scotland about the huge power of the self-employed to drive the national economy and the importance of the Chancellor remembering that. https://lnkd.in/eGgBGvxs

When we come across good ideas that will help small businesses thrive, we throw our weight behind them. When we come across ones that will hinder your business, we do our best to stop them. To do that effectively, we need your help. Being able to provide evidence of what Scotland's small businesses are thinking is critical to the work we do on your behalf. That is why the Big Small Business Survey is so important to what we do. Please take the time this weekend to fill out the questionnaire and help us give Scotland's small businesses a big voice. You'll have to be quick though. The survey closes at midnight on Sunday (16 March). https://lnkd.in/eTtsk_nm

Can you spare a few minutes to help give small businesses a big voice in Scotland? If you run a small business or are self-employed, we want to know about your challenges and concerns in 2025. What helps and what hinders you when it comes to running a thriving business? Raising the concerns of small businesses is a big part of what we do at FSB Scotland, trying to encourage good ideas at all levels of government - and stop bad ones. The Big Small Business Survey is a crucial part of that work, ensuring the cases we present to key decision-makers are evidence-led. In order to give as many small businesses as possible the change to take part, the deadline for completing the survey has been extended to 16 March. Please help us continue to give small businesses a powerful voice by completing the survey and spreading the word to other small businesses. https://lnkd.in/eTtsk_nm

Whatever the issue that's concerning you, we want to know about it. Taking the concerns of Scotland's small businesses to key decision-makers is a big part of what we do at the Federation of Small Businesses. Our Big Small Business Survey plays a crucial role in this work, helping ensure the arguments we make on your behalf are always evidence-led and compelling. Help us to give Scotland's small businesses as big a voice as possible by filling out our survey. It takes no more than 20 minutes and makes a big difference. Thank you🫶 https://lnkd.in/ewC_VDUz

Let's not beat around the bush, taking on an apprentice is a big step for most small businesses - one that, for many, feels too big and too risky. We talk to some firms who have had great success with apprenticeships, and to many others for whom the obstacles seem too great. To mark Scottish Apprenticeship Week (3-7 March), we are looking at potential ways of overcoming those barriers to more small businesses hiring apprentices. The potential benefits are clear. In 2023, more than two fifths of small businesses in Scotland told our Big Small Business Survey that they did not feel confident they would be able to recruit the appropriately skilled staff they need – and early findings from our 2025 survey suggest that lack of confidence remains. Increasing the uptake of apprenticeships among small firms could help bridge that skills gap. Vikki Manson, FSB Scotland’s Deputy Head of Policy, says: “Some of our members have taken on apprentices with great success, but for every one that has we know there are more who have doubts about how it could work for them. “Our research shows nearly three quarters of small businesses in Scotland do not engage with schools, colleges or universities when it comes to careers and recruitment. That needs to change if we are to see apprenticeship success stories repeated among more small employers.” Specifically, the Federation of Small Businesses says consideration should be given to a new financial incentive for small businesses to employ apprentices, following on from the success of the Apprenticeship Employer Grant, to help overcome the perceived financial risks. Ms Manson adds: “We welcome current engagement with small businesses from the Scottish Government to ensure their needs are met in future apprenticeship delivery and look forward to continuing to support that process to ensure the views of a wide range of small employers are included in the shaping of future apprenticeship delivery.” #ScotAppWeek25 #MadeForBusiness Skills Development Scotland MICROCOM TRAINING LIMITED Aimbridge Hospitality EMEA