Travelling down the road to net-zero is something we all should and must do
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MY HOPES FOR 2022: David Richardson, Highlands and Islands development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses
North business leader David Richardson has acknowledged that many firms will be entering 2022 with a sense of uncertainty over their futures – but he says "keeping our trade local" can help in the recovery from Covid-19.
Mr Richardson, Highlands and Islands development manager for the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), also points out that "high achievers with entrepreneurial spirit" can emerge from difficult times and, when they do, they should be given as much help and support as possible.
He is keen to remind businesses of the need to adopt measures to cut their carbon emissions in line with net-zero targets.
"Top of the list of everyone’s hopes for 2022 must surely be a speedy resolution to the Omicron crisis, an end to the procession of new Covid variants and a chance to get back to normal," Mr Richardson said.
"Five successive FSB surveys conducted in 2021 enabled us to track the virus’s impact on the health of independent Highlands and Islands businesses and, when added to underlying staffing shortages, cost increases and so on, there is no doubt that many businesses are going into 2022 feeling uncertain about their futures. This is bad for business and bad for Caithness – but we can help by keeping our trade local.
"Travelling down the road to net-zero is something that we all should and must do in 2022. But how quickly, efficiently and effectively we travel will vary greatly, and it matters.
"For it’s not just a moral issue – increasingly, governments are going to be obliging businesses to introduce new measures to cut their emissions, some of them potentially costly, and the sooner businesses engage the better.
"For our part, we have the FSB Sustainability Hub on our website – fsb.org.uk – open to all but with added information for members, and I’d urge you to take a look.
"Finally, difficult times like we are experiencing now often spur high achievers with entrepreneurial spirit into action to set up their own businesses, and for the health of our local economies and communities it is important that we do all we can to help and support people of all ages to do just that.
"In addition to Business Gateway – the first port of call for all business enquiries – the Federation of Small Businesses exists to help businesses achieve their ambitions. We provide both help and advice on how to get going, and an essential safety net if things go wrong."
