The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) has held its first ever hustings ahead of the 2021 Holyrood elections.
The event follows the publication of the ASSC’s first ever election manifesto, Recovering, Reopening, and Revitalising: Building a Scottish Self-Catering Sector for the Future.
ASSC Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, chaired the discussion which brought together representatives of all of Scotland’s major political parties to discuss their policies on self-catering and tourism.
Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Tourism, Fergus Ewing, represented the SNP, Jamie Halco Johnston was there for the Scottish Conservatives, Rhoda Grant and Liam McArthur were in attendance on behalf of Scottish Labour and the Scottish Liberal Democrats, while Laura Moodie debated for the Scottish Green Party.
The discussion covered a broad range of subjects including short-term let regulation, the prospect of a tourist tax, the re-opening of the Scottish tourism sector in the aftermath of COVID-19, Scottish independence and its possible consequences for the sector, as well as rural broadband and infrastructure.
The well-attended digital event was warmly welcomed by participants, many of whom took the chance to pose their questions and raise their concerns with the politicians present.
Given the success of the event, the ASSC has signalled its intention to hold similar hustings ahead of future elections to continue its work of raising the interests of self-caterers, and the broader tourism sector, with decision-makers and influencers.
Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers Chief Executive, Fiona Campbell, said:
“I am delighted to say that our first-ever election hustings was a massive success and I would like to extend my personal thanks to all those who participated.
“This election is of vital importance to all of us in Scottish self-catering so helping our members pose their questions directly to those who will be making policy in the future was an important step to take.
“The ASSC looks forward to continuing to engage positively with MSPs from across the next parliament and to encouraging them to take decisions that help self-catering, tourism, and the broader Scottish economy.”
For some context, and to highlight the importance of self-catering to each of the areas the candidates are standing in:
- There are 5580 self-catering units on Non-Domestic Rates in the Highlands and Western Isles
- 1386 in Dumfries and Galloway
- 672 in Orkney and Shetland
The full video from the hustings is available here.
The ASSC’s first-ever election manifesto, Recovering, Reopening, and Revitalising: Building a Scottish Self-Catering Sector for the Future, is available here.
