Serial Entrepreneur, Business Mentor & Columnist. Investor & Dragons Den Star, Investing in Technology & Property.
Just as things were starting to look like they were kicking into gear again for Scotland’s hospitality industry, I’m worried the wheels are going to come off in our biggest city thanks to a new policy. With Glasgow City Council agreeing to the introduction of increased parking fees and extended hours, due to come into force in April, I can’t help but feel business, and its custom, is not being prioritised. New rules will see paid-for parking in controlled areas extended from 6pm to 10pm, seven days a week. On top of this, charges will increase for the public and workers, as well as residents and businesses with parking permits. New measures are at risk of driving away vital trade from the City Centre, but also other key areas of commerce like the West End, Tradeston and the Barras. Glasgow, too, has potentially set a precedent for other local authority areas across the country looking to fundraise in the absence of a council tax hike, not long after it appeared matters were improving within local economies. To say councilors don’t have their finger on the pulse with this issue is an understatement. In a recent column, just last month, I wrote about how restaurant groups Six by Nico and Buzzworks were giving the industry reasons to be cheerful. Last week I touched on the rise of staycations and new figures from the Moffat Centre at Glasgow Caledonian University and the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA) show visitor numbers to Scotland’s tourist attractions were up 17.2 per cent last year. When it is so clear there is a trend for keeping things local as the overall economic climate bites hard, why are Glasgow City Council implementing policies that, seemingly, look designed to discourage people from entering the city? Namely, in my opinion, the prioritisation of meeting climate targets is the key driver for the introduction of this new edict. Soon off the back of the implementation of a Low Emissions Zone (LEZ) in the City Centre, this latest news further compounds the misery being experienced by restaurants, cafes, pubs and bars across the city. And it’s not just the hospitality and nightlife sectors that will bear the brunt, entertainment venues such as theatres, cinemas, comedy clubs, sporting venues and concert halls will suffer, too. Green policies are all well and good and climate change is something to be taken very seriously, but it feels like changes are being rolled out back to front. Asking people to negate their vehicles in exchange for public transport requires the network to be far more efficient than it currently is. It’s 2024 and it feels like the connect network in Glasgow is stuck in 1984. Orwellian the situation is not, as improvements have been made to the look and feel of the famous Subway circle, ScotRail has updated its fleet many times over the years and electric buses have been a great innovation. Click to read the column: https://lnkd.in/erRZ6Cp9
Managing Director at Vista Group | Director Porters Bar & Restaurant | Partner Webster Woodlands | Ex Professional Footballer
7moHi Shaf, Please note things are definitely not “kicking into gear with the hospitality industry”….Its not just parking zones, refurbishment works, road closures. This is just something else for these inept politicians to play about with. Theres a far larger problem and that’s the ever increasing labour and energy costs which businesses are enduring and then having (trying) to pass onto their customers. Theres only so much someone will pay for dining out. It’s evident the governments aren’t listening to the many ongoing problems and if they don’t provide assistance soon, I am in the mind that many businesses won’t be able to trade and eventually close their doors. The government really don’t know how serious this situation is! It is very sad times!