Business Focus: We ask both our governments to extend and expand support to affected firms and workers
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Stewart Nicol, chief executive of Inverness Chamber of Commerce.
I can’t help but reflect that announcements relating to roads and roadmaps have been to the fore in the last few days. Both are of strategic and vital importance to the city of Inverness and the wider Highland region.
The announcement of the next stage in the dualling of the A96 between Inverness and Aberdeen, the link between Inverness to Nairn, including a bypass is welcome news.
Most of us in Inverness would agree with the transport secretary’s comments that “these are ambitious plans” and that this “is a massive step forward”. However, we would also understand why, only a few days previous, the First Minister was being challenged as to whether or not both the A9 and A96 projects would be “completed in full and within the original target timescales”.
Understandably, Covid has had an impact on these works, but only recently – and I can’t have been the only user of the A9 who has long been perplexed and frustrated by the lack of activity – where it mattered, literally on the ground.
Housing and infrastructure, both physical and digital, are critical for our city and region, to make this a place in which it is attractive to invest, live and work. We need these basics right if we are to start to compete on the UK stage, never mind in the global realm. And, as we seek to plan a roadmap out of our current place of ‘lockdown’ to a place of recovery, we need a growing number of significant ‘shovel-ready’ projects to address our infrastructure challenges and revitalise our local and regional economy.
I agree with Scottish Chambers of Commerce colleagues that, in order to protect livelihoods and jobs, we have to reopen the economy by enabling businesses to get back to trading, supported by a clear and transparent roadmap. Our ask is that both our governments extend and expand support to affected businesses, sectors and their workforces.
We look forward to seeing further detail on the expansion of the Scottish Government business support funds. And hopefully, our hard-pressed businesses will also receive good news from the Chancellor in tomorrow’s Budget.
