Opening moves

I want to contrast the poor performance of VisitScotland in delivering economic development in Fraserburgh with that of a private company.

Unlike VisitScotland, Wetherspoon’s has shown confidence in Fraserburgh by spending a considerable amount of money to develop a defunct hotel in the town centre and reopening it as an inn. It will be a tremendous boost to the town and to the town centre.

VisitScotland, sponsored by the SNP government, damaged town centre jobs and the livelihoods of the people who work there by moving the Visitor Information Centre, and hence the thousands of visitors who used it, away from the town centre to the Lighthouse Museum at the extreme edge of town.

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Wetherspoon’s is doing the reverse. Its respected brand name will bring people into the town centre and it will also be providing much needed town centre accommodation, which will help to keep visitors in the town centre.

I would ask the question – why does the Scottish Government financially support the quango VisitScotland to damage job security and yet private companies do not get any 
assistance while actively supporting town centre economic development?

VisitScotland went against the Scottish Government’s own Town Centre First principle and got paid for it.

(Cllr) Ian Tait

Fraserburgh and District Ward