Business / SIC wants further modifications to business support schemes
SHETLAND Islands Council (SIC) continues to be in discussions with the Scottish Government in an attempt to make as many local businesses as possible eligible for national Covid-19 business support schemes.
Orkney Islands Council has now made available £5 million from its own strategic reserve fund to help the many local businesses that are currently suffering financial loss as well as additional cost but are not eligible for any of the many government support schemes available.
Online applications are now open in Orkney for grants of up to £15,000.
Chairman of the SIC’s development committee Alastair Cooper said he was well aware of Orkney going a separate route on the issue.
He said the SIC may well find itself in a similar position in the future to deal with the “inequities”, but for now the council’s focus was on seeking modifications to the eligibility of existing schemes.
The Scottish Government was quick to make available hundreds of millions of pounds to small businesses and the self-employed.
Following lobbying from politicians and trade organisations, three more schemes were announced by finance secretary Kate Forbes at the end of April.
Cooper said there were still plenty of small island businesses that did not fit the bill and could miss out on support that could prove vital in surviving the current crisis.
“Shetland is still pursuing the Scottish Government for variations to the schemes that deal with the inequities that we have identified here in Shetland,” Cooper said.
“At a point when the Scottish Government says they are going no further, then we will certainly have to consider how we deal with the inequities in Shetland.”
He added that should changes to the schemes be agreed with the Scottish Government in the near future, Orkney would not be able to benefit from them.
A full list government support schemes plus other Covid-19 advice can be found at: https://findbusinesssupport.gov.scot
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