Fears forum has ‘fallen by the wayside’
No meeting since last spring
Concerns have been raised that a council-run business forum, aimed at improving conditions for city centre traders, has not met since last spring.
The Stirling City Centre Forum last met in April last year and Mid Scotland and Fife Tory MSP, Dean Lockhart, has expressed his disappointment that the forum is not held on a regular basis.
Stirling Council says the most recent meeting of the forum took place on April 16, 2019, and it hopes to stage another meeting by the end of next month.
The Stirling City Centre Forum was set up, and chaired by council officers, specifically to improve communication and dialogue between the authority and businesses in relation to city centre issues.
However, Mr Lockhart said: “It’s very disappointing to find out that the Stirling City Centre forum is no longer being held on a regular basis.
“The absence of such a forum is denying a voice to Stirling’s traders and small businesses and this is a concern shared by many of the local businesses I have spoken to.
“I held two very successful business summits at which real concerns on issues such as business closures, anti-social behaviour, littering and controversy over parking charges were all raised.
“These concerns were then taken to Stirling Council in good faith only to be reassured that these would be raised and dealt with through the City Centre Forum.”
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “While the forum did not meet in the latter half of 2019, views of city centre businesses have been collated in this time through targeted consultation exercises including the council’s commercial waste review – in partnership with Go Forth Stirling, the City Centre Business Improvement District – and on specific projects including the Walk, Cycle, Live Stirling transport development plans.
“Go Forth Stirling has also established regular drop-in sessions for businesses to raise key issues and opportunities and these are discussed between Go Forth Stirling and council officers. If local businesses require to raise any matters, Stirling Council and Go Forth Stirling are more than happy to be contacted directly.”
The spokesperson also added that the council is continuing to deliver agreed actions set out in the City Centre Action Plan, agreed by the forum and the council’s finance and economy committee. The authority is now undertaking a review of this plan and engagement with businesses will be central to the process.
City centre businesses owner, Mandy Silver, of the Curly Coo, said she has been “saddened” that the forum has “fallen by the wayside” and she says that the city’s Business Improvement District (BID) has also been forced to cancel recent meetings.
She said: “As a sole trader I found the forum very useful in enabling me to contribute to plans for the future and keeping me in touch with general day to day living.
“The BID seems to also be going the same way with the last minute cancellation of the AGM with no word of a new date.
“Stirling is a beautiful city but sadly full of so many dysfunctional committees.”
It’s understood that the BID AGM and a business symposium, scheduled for this week, were both cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances and it will return to business as usual going forward.