‘We were told we were getting £6,000 but then they took it away’ – Scottish Government U-turn denies B&BS lifeline
Bed-and-breakfast owners in Edinburgh have condemned a Scottish Government U-turn which excluded them from receiving a promised £6,000 each in Covid support.
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 received last year. Many 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 SNP government added a line to its website page saying B&BS, guesthouses and self-catering accommodation did not qualify.
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 the 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.”
Duncan Stewart, who runs Glendale House at Cameron Toll, said the £6,000 ”would be enormous because it would see us through for another two or three months and we could pay our bills”.
Edinburgh South MP Ian Murray said the government should reverse its U-turn.
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