Edinburgh's B&Bs and guesthouses denied vital cash help after Scottish Government U-turn

Bed and breakfast owners in Edinburgh are crying foul after a Scottish Government U-turn excluded them from receiving a promised £6,000 each in Covid support.

Ross Birnie at 23 Mayfied says losing the £6,000 grant was a real blow

B&Bs and guesthouses thought they were in line for the top-up grant which would have provided a much-needed lifeline for businesses left struggling for most of the pandemic.

The criteria to qualify for the cash were the same as those for another payment B&Bs and guesthouses did receive last year.

Many of them filled in the application forms and were looking forward to receiving the money, but 24 hours before it was due to go into their bank accounts the government added a line to its website page saying B&Bs, guesthouses and self-catering accommodation did not qualify.

Duncan Stewart of Glendale House guesthouse said the grant would have been a huge help

Ross Birnie, who runs the five-star 23 Mayfield guesthouse in Newington with his wife Kathleen, said: “We were all told we were getting this £6,000 grant but then they took it away at the last minute. We ticked all the boxes and then they changed their mind. We were going to put it towards our tax bills and keep us above water. It’s a real blow.

“We're living off the bounce back loan for food and what bills we can afford and we're supposed to pay that off soon but we still have no income.”

He said B&Bs and guesthouses in England were getting top-up grants. “I’m proud to be Scottish, but I almost wish I was English.”

Elizabeth Scott, of nearby Kingsway guesthouse, who runs an Edinburgh B&B Facebook group, said: “It’s a pretty soul-destroying U-turn amplified by the fact hotels are still included. It’s discriminating against smaller providers.

"This was a light in a long dark tunnel for accommodation and tourism because we were really very neglected at the end of last year where because of the tier system and the travel ban we were effectively closed though we were still open, so to be denied this is very difficult for people.”

And Duncan Stewart, who runs the four-star Glendale House guesthouse at Cameron Toll, said the £6,000 would have been a huge help.

“It would be enormous because it would see us through for another two or three months and we could pay our bills, which at the moment we can't.”

He said he depended heavily on the university for business and that had stopped completely. "We still have an active website and we're open for business if anybody wants it, but we've been effectively shut since March with no income whatsoever. We're in debt already and we're now digging deep into our personal finances to try and keep ourselves afloat."

Edinburgh South Labour MP Ian Murray said the government should reverse the U-turn and give the B&Bs and guesthouses they help they so badly needed.

“There are still too many individuals and businesses falling through the cracks of support. The Scottish Government is sitting on hundreds of millions of pounds of unspent Covid support and that should be used to go to the B&Bs and guesthouses and others who are being forced to close but have no financial support. The English system has always been much more generous to this sector.”

A petition has been launched calling for fairness for Scotland’s guesthouses, B&Bs and self-catering businesses.

The Scottish Government has been approached for comment.

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