Article from The Courier dated 5th July 2006

We have added our own comments in bold

Business chiefs to tackle threat to “vitality”

BP Comments: Perthshire Chamber of Commerce climb down to admit there are problems in the Perthshire area.

A WARNING about a “threat to the vitality” of Perth and Perthshire has been issued by Perthshire Chamber of Commerce.

BP Comment: So are the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce agreeing now with what this website has been pointing out to our visitors for the last year? During this time members have been vilified and excommunicated from the business community and the Chamber. Now it seems we were correct all along in our concerns.

President Alastair Dorward yesterday told members at their annual meeting at Ballathie House Hotel there must be a change in outlook to attract visitors and prospective residents.

Mr Dorward said, “The ongoing threat to the business health and vitality of our town and community centres is real—and very significant.

BP Comment: Our website has clearly stated from the start that changes in attitude and approach are needed to attract new visitors and businesses alike. We totally agree in the above.

“The changes in retailing, such as the internet, the power of the supermarket as a single-point provider on the edge of our towns, the delivery of retail services from industrial estates with their cheaper overheads, the social disruption and poor or threatening behaviour in our town centres, place them at very serious risk.

“We can no longer depend upon the retail sector to provide the principal attraction for visitor traffic and city centre footfall, but must look more and more towards the provision of social, cultural and leisure activities to draw people in.

BP Comment: Our website clearly stated these facts highlighting the fact that shops are shutting and the rise of the internet as a way forward for all businesses. We shop at most of the small shops in our small town and so should everyone else in order to develop a healthy local economy.

“Our communities are at risk and we in the chamber are mindful of this.”

BP Comment: Our website clearly stated that Perth will be left behind in the dark ages if things continue this way.

Mr Dorward also highlighted the constraints imposed on businesses and economic growth by the Scottish Executive and Scottish Water.

He continued, “The inhibitors upon development, on inward investment and on provision of affordable housing, must be lifted.

“The Scottish Executive review of planning regulations and processes is welcome.

“Our board have been lobbying hard with all gatekeepers to ease the constraints imposed on the infrastructure for water and drainage.

“We are in ongoing discussions with Perth and Kinross Council and with our parliamentarians in this regard.

“This year we persuaded Scottish Chambers of Commerce to adopt this subject as a principal lobbying issue.

“In the past few months one of the directors, John Stephen, has twice met the First Minister to stress the grave threat that those infrastructure weakness and constraints place upon economic growth.

“Businesses are being listened to, and we are beginning to see a change of policy, practice and structure in the Scottish Executive and in Scottish Water.”

The chamber has held seminars on public service procurement, the new waste disposal legislation, employment law and postal changes.

Mr Dorward said the chamber is involved in discussions on the future of DARA in Almondbank and was consulted on the proposals for the future of Perth City Hall and the South Street Post Office in Perth.

He also explained its board meets quarterly with MPs and MSPs.

While acknowledging there will be difficult periods in the future, Mr Dorward is confident they can be overcome.

BP Comment: We would love to see this kind of change happen. If the Chamber of Commerce can produce the goods instead of rearranging the deck chairs like others before them, then this is crunch time for the area. We were interested to note the other day that Marilyn Wallace the business manager has recently stepped down. Did she jump or was she pushed we wonder? Marilyn Wallace was directly responsible for communicating with all members but in our experience the entire set up proved to be very cliquey.

He said, “The critical issues such as a struggling rural economy, the uncertainties arising from the Scottish Enterprise restructuring and the consequent change of funding support, the growing trend to regionalise if not to centralise government well beyond the current local authority areas of responsibility, the vast number of immigrant workers upon whom our economy is now reliant, all mean challenging if not difficult times ahead for our area.

BP Comment: Low pay jobs will only attract low pay workers but ones very skilled to boot also. Perthshire has plenty of low pay jobs on offer for everyone. Just try buying a nice house with those wages though. Food for thought.

“I am, however, encouraged by the enterprise and entrepreneurial spirit shown by our businesses and by the expected award of university status next year to UHI (University of Highlands and Islands) of which Perth College is a major partner.”

He said working together can bring great benefits to the area.

He added, “We must also engage more with our members and to deliver where possible useful guidance and information on the multitude of changes.

BP Comment: This is an area the Chamber of Commerce are very weak in. They choose to get rid of members who originally voiced these concerns instead of listening to them and trying to understand basic problems that businesses have in Perthshire. Will a statement be issued on this? Probably not but we all know who was right.

“Here I think we still have work to do.

We are still growing our membership, but we must strengthen communication within the chamber to ensure that we deliver, and are seen to deliver, value to our members if we are to encourage retention and growth.”

BP Comment: Yes a lot more work. Chamber members contacting us have also criticised them in the fact that communication is very bad. If this did improve they would gain more respect in the area. Reading this article again we realize how right we are on this website. Whether we receive an apology or not remains to be seen but remember it was Business Perthshire who first voiced these concerns and not the Perthshire Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber of Commerce had the SNP remove this site from our servers - not a very helpful or constructive solution.

The chamber tried to discredit people with the skills that could help this area thrive!!