DUNFERMLINE MSP Shirley-Anne Somerville has called on Fife Council to provide more support for town centre businesses.

After carrying out a survey of local businesses, she said most respondents wanted more support and information on rates relief.

She has now written to deputy leader of Fife Council, Councillor Lesley Laird, regarding their concerns.

“After several businesses in Dunfermline town centre contacted me over their concerns about business rates, I decided to survey opinion on what is working, and what could be done better,” explained Ms Somerville.

“I was surprised that so many local businesses felt that Fife Council is not doing enough to support them and that so few of them felt that the council was providing enough information about which relief schemes they could apply to.

“I now intend to write to each business I surveyed to provide an overview of what relief is available to them through schemes such as the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which the Scottish Government has just extended.”

Central Dunfermline councillor Neale Hanvey, whose ward includes Dunfermline High Street, said the Scottish Government had introduced a package of measures to help local businesses.

“But that all counts for nothing if the council, who administer the Small Business Bonus, don’t include it in their economic planning strategy,” he said.

“I’ve raised this matter several times with Councillor Laird to no avail so I will be interested to see what Fife Council has to say.”

Cllr Laird said everyone in businesses recognised the current Scottish business rates scheme was a mess and Fife Council had been the only council to give evidence to a current review of business rates.

“As you would expect from such a proactive Rates Team, they have already reviewed all existing awards of Small Business Bonus Relief – looking at where this relief can continue – and also identifying where new businesses will be eligible in 2017/18,” she said.

“All of this will be in the annual bills due to be issued this week. If businesses need support then the Rates Team are on hand and will be able to advise.”

Cllr Laird said she was looking forward to seeing the results of Ms Somerville’s survey. “I would have expected a more constructive approach from our MSP but clearly headlines are more important than solutions,” she said. “If she had called, then we could have discussed the very serious issues being highlighted by Fife businesses caused by the her SNP Government’s approach.

“Cllr Hanvey’s comments are simply just bizarre. He knows the council can’t fix rate issues – the SNP Government set the rates and it’s for his Government to fix the mess they’ve made. The reason he knows this is because he’s a member of the Policy Group in Fife Council working on these very issues. “As SNP leader he also knows the very proactive approach taken by Fife Council staff on business rates so this type of statement is disappointing.”