Business concerns
New statistics show there are almost 32,000 self-employed people across Lanarkshire – now there are calls for them to be supported by the area’s MSPs in the next Scottish Parliament.
A total of 19,5000 people in South Lanarkshire work for themselves, ranking the area fourth in Scotland for self-employment, while the figure for neighbouring North Lanarkshire is 12,000, placing the authority area tenth.
The numbers come from the Federation of Small Businesses, who warn: “The coronavirus crisis has hit the self-employed hard, and Lanarkshire MSPs returned at the election must work to protect this vital group.”
Scotland-wide, FSB research reveals that 60 per cent of business owners say that the coronavirus pandemic has made selfemployment less attractive.
Around a third of small businesses were forced to close during the crisis, and thousands of Scottish firms have taken on billions of pounds of governmentbacked debt.
South Lanarkshire business owner Heike Schimanski said: “I love working for myself and being able to help others thrive with their businesses, however, many of my clients were forced to stop working with me because they didn’t get support and therefore couldn’t pay me.
“Without the FSB I would not have been able to come back from this shock, and the free networking events were one of my main go-to’s to meet wonderful business owners and eventually new clients. Without the FSB, their support on a human, business and legal basis, I would have had to close my business for good, and that’s why I am looking for my MSPs to work hard.”
FSB wants the next administration at Holyrood to pilot a new collective insurance approach for selfemployed individuals who could not otherwise access sick pay. They also want policymakers in Edinburgh to provide maternity, paternity and adoption payments to the self-employed via Social Security Scotland.
Andy Aird, a business owner in South Lanarkshire and FSB’s Scotland national group chairman, said: “The events of the last year have undermined the strength of self-employed people and the small business community in Lanarkshire. That’s a real concern, because it’ll be these same operators will be vital to turning around the local economies. No matter the colour of their rosette, we’re looking for candidates to pledge to help to get these local firms back on their feet and give our vital local businesses a fighting chance.”