As nominations for the new leader of the Scottish National Party close, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) in Scotland has called for the incoming First Minister to “think small first” on all new rules and regulation.
Andrew McRae, FSB’s Scotland policy chair said: “The changing of the guard at the very top of the Scottish Government marks the beginning of a new age, one that must come with a fresh mindset.
“Small businesses in Scotland face a wide-ranging suite of regulatory changes in the short to medium term – the details of which, in many cases, remain unclear.“
He argued that from the Deposit Return Scheme to tourism taxes and the proposed limitations on alcohol licensing, many smaller operators are facing the prospect of having to redesign the way they do business across several fronts.
“We can’t treat businesses as a job lot, designing regulations for large PLCs and expecting small and micros to fit in,“ stated McRae. “Ministers and officials need to think small first, building schemes around what will work in practice for the small firms who make up the vast majority of businesses in Scotland.
“Now is the time to take a comprehensive look at all new rules - from right across government - that are due to be implemented in the next few years and examine their cumulative, real-world impact on daily operations.
“Not only will this help Scotland’s small businesses drive economic recovery, it also gives the government’s stated policy aims the greatest chance of success.”
Meanwhile, a new opinion poll of SNP voters has shed light on their preferences and priorities.
Commissioned by communications agency the BIG Partnership, the poll of 1,001 Scottish adults who voted SNP at the 2021 parliamentary election was conducted between 20 and 22 February, after all three candidates had declared their bids.
The results include:
- Most SNP voters surveyed (31%) don’t yet know who they will back, but of those declared, Kate Forbes leads the pack (28%), followed by Humza Yousaf (20%) and Ash Regan (7%).
- Most SNP voters (61%) want to see a referendum on Scottish independence at some point within the next two years, and three quarters (75%) want to see a referendum within the next five years.
- Most think it’s important for the new leader to have a plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis (58%), grow Scotland’s economy (53%), and improve health, education and other public services (53%) –while only 5% think the new leader’s faith or personal beliefs are important.
- SNP voters think the cost-of-living crisis (65%) and the NHS (58%) are top priorities for the new SNP leader, followed by the economy and jobs (31%) and Scottish independence (30%).
- Support for the SNP among its 2021 voters remains strong, with only 12% of SNP voters surveyed indicating they are somewhat or very unlikely to vote SNP on their second vote now that Nicola Sturgeon is no longer SNP leader.
Paul Robertson, head of public affairs at the BIG Partnership, said: “Our poll indicates that SNP voters want to judge the candidates on their plans for the bread-and-butter issues of government – tackling the cost-of-living crisis, growing the economy and improving public services.
“These are the issues which our poll shows SNP voters think are most important, whilst questions of faith and personal belief, which have dominated the headlines, are relatively unimportant for those choosing the new leader.
“Neither is it surprising to see SNP voters impatient for a referendum – almost three quarters want a new referendum in the next two years,“ he continued, adding: “But when considering the top priorities for a new First Minister, SNP voters seem to acknowledge that it is current issues like the health service, the cost-of-living, and the economy that should come first.“
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