Scottish Government minister makes pledge to think local first – Scottish Business News

Scotland Loves Local Week 2024: Minister champions support for local initiatives as he visits Paisley’s Buddie Walk of Fame and meets community group who have brought abandoned town centre building back to life

The Scottish Government has made a pledge to help boost the national economy by supporting local businesses whenever it can.

Employment and Investment Minister Tom Arthur signed the Scotland Loves Local Pledge as he heard about the transformational impact of choosing local while on a visit to Paisley.

The pledge – supported by a number of local authorities and leading organisations including the Scottish Grocers’ Federation and Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland – is a commitment to prioritising local people and businesses by spending with them whenever it is possible to do so.

Mr Arthur said: “Local businesses are the bedrock of our communities and support more than 1.2 million jobs throughout Scotland, which is why I am delighted to support Scotland Loves Local Week 2024.

“Shopping locally helps to keep businesses open, people in jobs and prosperity in our villages, towns and cities.

“The Scottish Government continues to work closely with Scotland’s Towns Partnership to drive forward the Scotland Loves Local campaign, which puts localism and thriving town centres at the heart of a green, fair and growing economy.”

The pledge is being championed as part of Scotland Loves Local Week, which runs until Sunday and is shining a spotlight on both the need to support local businesses and innovative projects taking place nationally to help rejuvenate communities.

It is organised by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), which spearheads Scotland Loves Local with the support of the Scottish Government.

Professor Leigh Sparks, the leading Stirling-based retail academic who chairs STP, met the minister in Paisley alongside the organisation’s chief officer, Kimberley Guthrie.

He said: “We are delighted to have the Scottish Government’s support for the Scotland Loves Local Pledge, which really highlights the critical need for us all to choose local.

“Millions of pounds more will be injected into local economies if we all turn to local businesses whenever we can.

“With that, confidence will grow to make the type of investments we need to reimagine our town centres – making them more attractive places to live, work and visit by encouraging entrepreneurship and action which benefits our economy and environment.”

On his visit, the Minister saw how Paisley First Business Improvement District is helping draw more people into the town through initiatives such as its Buddie Walk of Fame, unveiled earlier this summer – calling in at the fish and chip shop owned by the family of singer Paulo Nutini, whose star sits outside it.

Mr Arthur met artists who have repurposed a former department store into an events and exhibition space and members of a youth organisation working to transform a former nightclub into a dedicated new youth theatre.

All involved highlighted the critical need for local support to underpin their success.

Throughout this week, Paisley First is also recognising and rewarding dedication and innovation by announcing the winners of its first Love Paisley Star Awards.

Paisley First chair Elaine Templeton, who co-owns a popular town centre cafe, said: “Without local support, our businesses simply cannot survive.

“Town centres are no longer just about shopping. They’re about great places to visit, eat out and live.

We need to be clever about how empty buildings are brought back to life as attractions and places to live.

They need to be vibrant and ambitious, as the interest in our Buddie Walk of Fame and success of our Love Paisley Star Awards shows .

“Paisley has a strong creative heritage and the town is leading the way in repurposing places and spaces to ensure that same creativity is part of its future.

“It was a pleasure to show the minister how people are working together to achieve this.”

People are being invited to share images and details of great businesses and organisations that make their home area so special, using the hashtags #ScotlandLovesLocal and #ChooseLocal.

STP leads the Scotland Loves Local initiative as a means to boost local economies and improve places by galvanising support for the people and businesses in them.

Find out how to get involved with Scotland Loves Local Week by going to www.lovelocal.scot or emailing info@lovelocal.scot.