ASSC seeks urgent clarification from Scottish Government with regard to the grant support for small businesses

Association of Scotland’s Self Caterers (ASSC) seeks urgent clarification from Scottish Government with regard to the grant support for small businesses

The ASSC has today written to the Scottish Government to seek clarification in relation to the grant support for small businesses.

“As an association, the Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers fully endorses the measures that you are taking to keep Scotland safe and help our people deal with the impact of the COVID-19 and the industry commits to working with you to that effect.

We appreciate that this is an unprecedented and fast-moving set of circumstances but I am contacting you to seek urgent clarity in relation to the Scottish Government’s support for small business.

We are concerned that self-catering has not been included on the list of businesses who are eligible for the programmes in the Scottish Government Coronavirus Business Support Fund which is being administered by local authorities.

The guidance provided from the UK Government, is explicitly clear that self-catering accommodation is eligible for support. However, this does not appear to be the case in Scotland. We are deeply concerned that councils in Scotland are already interpreting the guidance provided by the Scottish Government to state that self-catering is not eligible for the grants available. This is the case for Fife Council: https://www.fife.gov.uk

Please could you confirm whether this is an oversight which will be rectified as soon as possible, or if it is the case that unlike other parts of the UK, self-catering has been excluded from the list of eligible businesses.

We have hundreds of worried members who will want to access this support to protect their livelihoods and ensure that they can resume business when this is over and continue to welcome visitors to Scotland.”