SCC to expand as Holyrood powers grow

The business group, which has around 10,000 member companies, has just added another chamber, in the Cairngorms, to bring its network of local groups to 22.

But chairman Mike Salter said the SCC intends to establish a chamber of commerce in "every area of Scotland" as it seeks to raise its game on the policy front. "It's an exciting and interesting time at the moment (in Scotland]," Salter said. "It's a time of change. The devolution settlement is evolving, the role of Scottish institutions is becoming more important and we want to build on what we have been doing and flesh it out."

The SCC, headquartered in Glasgow, is creating several roles as part of its expansion, including an operations and development director and employee engagement executive. The business group is also searching for a policy and research manager to collate member feedback.

Salter said the SCC was in a "unique" position to influence policy as its members include "everyone from the sole trader to Royal Bank of Scotland, BP and Shell".

The group will shortly publish its manifesto ahead of the Scottish elections, which will call for politicians to formulate a serious economic development plan. "There has been a sense that there has been a bit of a social justice agenda (among recent administrations]," Salter said. "What we are really focusing on is trying to get politicians to have an economic development agenda. Let's create an environment that gets SMEs to employ people and engage in international trade."

Among the manifesto's key proposals will be a co-ordinated transport policy for Scotland. Salter said it was a travesty that railways lines run "within spitting distance" of the main airports yet no trains stop there, making it difficult for business people to commute between Scotland and key destinations.

The manifesto will also call on the Scottish Government to follow the example of Wales and Northern Ireland and invest in a faster broadband network.