27 Mar 2024
Leaders of Glasgow’s business representative groups, industry bodies and hospitality workers' union have joined forces to call on Glasgow City Council’s Leader Susan Aitken to reconsider the proposed 10 pm parking charges in its budget proposal 2024-27.
In an unprecedented move, thirteen organisations and businesses including the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), the Scottish Hospitality Group (SHG), Glasgow Chamber of Commerce and Unite Hospitality have penned a joint letter expressing grave concerns over the potential repercussions of the council's plan on businesses and hospitality workers citywide.
The collective plea follows a recent survey conducted by FSB and SHG which showed 97 per cent of the respondents across Glasgow fear that the proposed 10 pm parking charges would be detrimental to their business.
While acknowledging the immense financial pressure facing the Glasgow City Council, the joint letter highlights the extremely challenging trading conditions for hospitality businesses in the city and the potential adverse effect on the safety of workers and customers. It also warns that the proposed parking charges could lead to a loss of hundreds of jobs in bars, restaurants, theatres and nightclubs and potential closures of many otherwise viable businesses throughout the city.
In a joint statement, the signatories said: “Businesses in the hospitality and retail sectors are teetering on the brink of collapse. Numerous beloved establishments have already sadly closed their doors permanently in recent years. The Scottish Government's failure to extend the 75% rates relief to businesses in these sectors is not helpful either. We also have grave concerns around the potential impact on the safety of both staff and customers, at a time when there are ongoing public transport challenges such as its reliability and frequency at night.
“We therefore ask the council administration to reconsider the Standardisation of Chargeable Hours Across Parking Zones and discard its implementation altogether.
“Virtually all businesses and many workers in the city fear its potential adverse effects, from diminished turnover to challenges in staff retention and recruitment. More alarmingly, it poses a significant threat to hundreds of jobs in bars, restaurants, theatres, and nightclubs throughout the city, potentially leading to the closure of numerous otherwise viable enterprises. The ripple effect could jeopardise the livelihoods of the supply chains of these businesses as well. We simply cannot let this happen.”
The letter was signed by:
CLICK HERE to view the letter.
