The UK and Scottish governments have been urged to put business at the heart of their upcoming budgets, as hospitality businesses continue to struggle with rising costs.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves will deliver her autumn Budget on 26th November, with Scottish finance secretary Shona Robison following in January.
Leon Thompson, executive director of UKHospitality Scotland, said businesses in Scotland continue to struggle with ‘unsustainable costs that continue to stifle growth, threaten jobs and business viability’.
“We need to see the UK Government tackle business costs in the Budget in November,” said Thompson.
“UKHospitality continues to raise this directly with the chancellor and her team, as well as through our #TaxedOut campaign. The Scottish Government must then follow up with its Budget in January that puts the needs of business at the heart of its plan. Support on business rates, followed by rapid reform of the current system, is key in order to help provide economic stability and certainty.”
Meanwhile the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) Scotland has separately called on the Scottish Government to provide business rates relief as part of its ‘Northern Lights Manifesto’.
A delegation from NTIA Scotland visited Holyrood last month to launch the manifesto, which offers the Scottish Government a road map to how it can better ‘protect and empower’ the night-time sector.
It marked the start of what the NTIA hopes will be a ‘national conversation’ about integrating the night time economy into Scotland’s wider economic and cultural strategy, ahead of the Scottish Budget in January.
Key asks in the Northern Lights Manifesto include the creation of a National Night Time Economy Strategy to align planning, licensing, transport, tourism, and cultural policy; appointing a dedicated Minister for the Night Time Economy to represent the sector at cabinet level; and 40% business rates relief for all hospitality and late-night businesses, plus 100% relief for cultural venues, removing the current £51k cap.
The NTIA manifesto also proposes the introduction of a statutory duty for local authorities to produce local night-time strategies that align with the national framework; the establishment of local Offices for Nightlife across Scotland to coordinate best practice, safety, and late-night transport improvements; and the protection of Scotland’s cultural venues through planning reform, targeted funding, and the basic recognition that many venues are heritage assets.
Chair of NTIA Scotland, Sub Club founder Mike Grieve, said: “Scotland’s night-time economy is one of our greatest cultural assets — a source of creativity, community, and economic strength, but it has been overlooked for too long.
“Northern Lights is our roadmap for recovery and renewal. We need a clear national strategy with a dedicated minister representing the sector at cabinet level, and immediate comprehensive rates relief to safeguard Scotland’s nightlife for generations to come.”
Pauline McNeill MSP, who hosted the Holyrood launch, said Scotland’s night-time economy is ‘vital to our culture and local jobs’ and encouraged all MSPs with night-time businesses in their constituencies to ‘listen to the experiences and ideas being shared’.
