Good for the world Bad for business
Shop and pub bosses fear green summit will cause chaos
Businesses in Glasgow fear the United Nations climate conference will hit their profits – despite predictions it will provide a multimillion-pound bonanza.
The huge annual summit will be held in the city over 10 days in November and will attract 30,000 delegates, including an estimated 200 world leaders.
Analysts have predicted a major boost for the local economy after studying figures from previous conferences elsewhere in Europe.
But retailers have revealed they fear disruption caused by increased security measures, and worry that potential protests by eco-activists will mean that people stay away.
COP26 will be held at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in November. It aims to reach a global agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions and tackling the climate emergency.
The Scot t ish Police Authority ( SPA) last week estimated that the bill for policing the event could be as high as £250million.
Last year, Glasgow City Council leader Susan Aitken said at a council meeting that the hospitality sector would see a £ 73million boost. And Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the Centre for Retail Research, believes the conference could inject £150million into the economy.
But he has warned that movement restrictions and road closures are likely to cause havoc for shoppers, businesses and city centre workers.
He said: “The conference has moved Glasgow up the global conference ranking, which is why so many have been keen to have it there.
“Taking into consideration past figures and the numbers estimated to attend, it could mean a boost of £104million for Scotland’s economy. Coupled with tourist spending by delegates, we would be talking up to £150million. “That figure is based on the number of attendees expected, coupled with past spending at similar events. However, there will be inconveniences such as public transport being disrupted and protests.
“It’ll cost retailers and Scottish businesses money if people can’t access the area or get around easily. The fact that you can’t get to shops, and roads are blocked, will make things diff icult for retai lers and people getting to work.
“A conference usually lasts a day or so and that would be manageable – but one spanning 10 days could produce serious disruption.”
Glasgow has a capacity of approximately 13,000 hotel rooms, but many city hotels are already full. The volume of delegates means prices have soared, with some room rates up by more than 500 per cent.
It costs £ 6540 – a 511 per cent increase – for a 10-night stay in a standard double at the city’s Radisson Blu Hotel dur ing the summit , according to Booking.com.
Colin Wilkinson of the Scottish Licensed Trade Association said disruption and road closures were a concern for members.
He added: “Glasgow wants to showcase itself to the world but there has to be some balance. Some businesses and retailers will face lots of problems.
“Businesses still have to operate and benefit from events such as this but it does raise a lot of problems.”
Ewan MacDonald-Russell of the Scottish Retail Consortium added: “Glasgow’s retailers will be hoping the international spotlight will bring a boost to the city centre and local high streets.
“Shop owners will certainly be making plans to capitalise on those opportunities. However, it’s likely that some will benefit more than others.
“Previous major events have been a mixed blessing for some, with extra visitors offset by Scots staying away and disruptive road closures.
“It remains to be seen how that all balances out later on