Edinburgh councillor proposes residents be given £30 voucher to spend on local small businesses

Councillors are set to consider the scheme

Households across Edinburgh could be given vouchers worth up to £30 to spend in local shops under new plans being put forward to Edinburgh City Council this week.

Liberal Democrat councillor Kevin Lang has submitted a motion to the council’s Policy and Sustainability committee, requesting the establishment of a new voucher scheme, under which every taxpaying household in Edinburgh will receive a maximum of £30 to spend on local small businesses.

Cllr Lang’s motion requests the scheme be financed by the Scottish Government through underspend on its Covid-19 Small Business Grant Scheme, and that funding should total £8.8 million.

The motion also asks that council leader Adam McVey writes to the Scottish Government to make the case for the scheme.

Cllr Lang said: “We need to do all we can to support local businesses through this economic crisis.

“It is why it was so important for all eligible small businesses to get the grant they deserve.

“However, the figures show there is still a substantial sum of money left after all the grants have been allocated…

“Over the last few weeks, we have heard warm words from the council about helping small businesses. It is important these good intentions are turned into practical action.

“One of the best ways is to actively encourage people to visit our high streets and spend money with local businesses. Using the remaining grant funds to create a voucher scheme could be an important way of doing just that.”

Cllr Lang is hoping to receive cross party support for the initiative.

He has already caught the interest of Conservative councillor and finance spokesperson Andrew Johnston, who has indicated he is open to the idea.

Cllr Johnston said: “Small businesses in Edinburgh need all the financial support they can get, especially as they have not enjoyed the same level of grant support as available in England.

“This proposal if implemented well could make a real difference and the last thing we want is the Scottish Government clawing back funding.”

Councillors who are members of the Policy and Sustainability committee will have the opportunity to vote on Cllr Lang’s proposals at a meeting this Thursday.

A council spokesperson said: “We’ve issued a substantial amount of funding to local businesses thanks to the Coronavirus Business Support scheme.

"We aren’t in possession of any unspent funding, since grants were drawn down from the Scottish Government, based on the number and value of successful applications received.

"In total we issued more than 9,000 grants worth £112.5m across Edinburgh and the region.”

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