Rachael Hamilton MSP has criticised the Scottish Government over the lack of self-catering businesses throughout the pandemic.
The Strategic Framework Business Fund offers one-off payments for eligible hospitality businesses required to close in Level 4.
However it was noted today at Finance Portfolio Questions in Holyrood, the £7 million fund announced prior to Christmas would only average out at £400 per self-catering business.
Other businesses such as B&Bs have also been negatively impacted by the lack of appropriate funding over the past year.
It comes as the Scottish Government plans to introduce new regulations on self-catering, B&Bs and short-term lets, that would ultimately cause more bureaucracy and financial hardship to a sector already hit by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Rachael Hamilton MSP and the Association of Scottish Self-Caterers have both written to Fergus Ewing, Cabinet Secretary for the Rural Economy and Tourism calling for clarification.
Rachael Hamilton MSP said:
“We know that the self-catering industry has only benefitted from one round of funding in the past year, whilst other businesses have been offered multiple streams of cash.
“Yet again, the funding is just too little too late from an SNP Government, who have sat on their hands over this for months.
“Many businesses have made substantial losses in this sector, and I have written to the Cabinet Secretary for Tourism urging him to rethink the lack of funding for this struggling industry.
“On the new short term lets regulations, they should be delayed as we have concerns about regulations coming into force so soon in April.
“The tourism industry needs to be protected and supported as it tries to recover from the impact of coronavirus, not faced with more regulation.
“If we continue on the current trajectory, many businesses simply won’t be viable when tourism is finally allowed to return to Scotland”.