Appeal to support city's fish processing industry

11 December 2017

A special package of rates relief for Aberdeen’s fish processing industry will be requested by Aberdeen City Council and the deadline for applications for local relief is to be extended.

At a meeting of the full Council today (11 December 2017), elected members agreed to ask Chief Executive Angela Scott to write to the Scottish Government to request the sector receives support in recognition of the challenges it faces.

Councillors also agreed to extend the closing dates for applications under the Council’s own local scheme to 31 March 2018. It had closed on 30 September 2017.

Cllr Douglas Lumsden, convener of the committee and Aberdeen City Council Co-Leader, said: “Discussions with the fish processing industry have highlighted the issues being faced and as a Council we take those concerns on board.

“As a priority we have agreed to approach the Scottish Government to state the case for a package of rates relief for an industry which has been a mainstay of Aberdeen’s commercial heart for generations.

“Transitional relief for both the hospitality and office sectors has been made available by the Scottish Government and it is important that other sectors are not ignored.

“By extending our own local scheme we are also giving Aberdeen businesses in a wide range of industries extra time to benefit.”

In June 2017, following Committee approval, Aberdeen City Council introduced a local rates relief scheme broadly following the provisions of the Transitional Relief Scheme but open to all business ratepayers meeting set conditions.

In Aberdeen, up to 30 September, there were 466 applications for the national scheme processed, with a projected 1,347 eligible properties, and 532 applications under the local scheme against a projected 1,400 eligible properties.