Plea for £90 million annual investment in towns such as Wick and Thurso
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A CALL for £90 million to be invested annually in Scottish towns such as Wick and Thurso has been supported by the Caithness Chamber of Commerce and local civic leader Willie Mackay.
They back the plea made by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Scotland which urges the Scottish and UK governments to do more to support "hard-pressed towns".
It wants both governments to direct the Scottish National Investment Bank and the UK Stronger Towns Fund respectively to invest in projects and properties that would boost Scottish high streets and town centres.
According to the federation, Highland towns have seen more than 400 closures of shops, bank branches, petrol stations and police stations since 2016.
In its latest national report, Transforming Towns: Delivering a Sustainable Future for Local Places, FSB Scotland identifies measures which can help reinvigorate these areas.
It calls for £90 million annual investment in Scottish towns and the creation of a new Scottish Government commission to tackle the blight of empty properties.
FSB Highlands and Islands development manager David Richardson said: "We are calling on governments north and south of the border to invest heavily in our towns to help them overcome current challenges and to lay the groundwork for them becoming great places to live, work and play in the future.
Many businesses and their customers are heavily reliant on these services.
"The closure of shops, banks, petrol pumps, council offices, courts and police stations in Highland towns is about much more than the ending of a few services, the loss of some jobs and the disposal of a redundant building or two, important though these are. Many businesses and their customers are heavily reliant on these services and the cumulative impact of their closures can cause considerable inconvenience and make towns much less attractive places to be.
"This matters at a time when efforts are being made to retain and attract more young people and families to the Highlands to rebalance the population and safeguard the future viability of this region."
Caithness civic leader Willie Mackay says he is "100 per cent" behind the scheme.
"I would like to see Wick get a fair slice of the £90 million on top of the money for the regeneration of the town centre," he said. "Funding of this sort will help make the town more vibrant, enterprising and attractive. It could also help repopulate empty buildings for housing, and social and community enterprises.
"I would also like to see Thurso get a fair crack of the whip with regard to this money and feel that competitive business rates would also help traders at a time when retail is changing."
He added: "There is a lot more to be done than town centre regeneration so the more money we can get, the better."
Trudy Morris, chief executive of the Caithness Chamber of Commerce, said town centres have been under pressure over a number of years as a result of tightening household budgets, the increase in out-of-town shopping and the growth in online shopping. "While more public sector investment in our town centres would be welcome, we would caution that this should be done in a way which results in long-term sustainability," she said.
