Scottish Government Engages Business Leaders in Budget Talks
The Scottish Government has been engaging business leaders in budget talks in a bid to secure support for their latest budget, and SBCC ensured that Borders and wider rural issues were remembered.
Business representatives joined the First Minister John Swinney (pictured below), and members of his Cabinet, along with charity and third sector leaders, in a government event held at the University of Edinburgh this week, where the Scottish Government engages business leaders in discussions. Trevor Jackson, Chair of the Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce, was invited to share views and he took the opportunity to ensure the First Minister and Ivan McKee, Minister for Public Finance, among others, were aware of particular Scottish Borders’ concerns around budget changes both from a UK and Scottish level.
“It was a positive event and was a good opportunity for ministers to hear first-hand some of the key issues business is facing,” said Mr Jackson.
“I got a strong feeling that there is a bit more openness to collaboration across the spectrum from the Scottish Government ministers than there may have been in the past. They recognise a lot of the challenges and that there are hard choices to be made, particularly after the UK Government’s decision to raise National Insurance levels.”
Scottish Government Engages Business Leaders in Budget Talks
“They have been asking for our constructive engagement, and we’re certainly up for telling them what we need. It was another good opportunity for us to network directly with politicians at a senior level and to discuss the Borders and our more rural perspective.”
“The key, of course, is what they do with that information and what changes we see to policy. But it’s very positive that they’re listening to us and others on the shape of Scotland’s future direction. The SBCC shall continue to press for active engagement.”
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Mr Jackson added: “We are building real momentum through the Chamber and we will build on that in 2025, but the key is that we have as strong, diverse and vocal a membership as possible to ensure that we are representing our business people in a way that sees genuine improvements for them and their businesses.”
Scottish Borders Chamber of Commerce
