HUGE thanks to Maree Todd MSP and Dr.Lucy Beattie for meeting with me today, 17th February 2024 to chat about the Excluded community.
We spoke of on going lessons to learn from what came to pass and the importance of ensuring history is not repeated.
Business Support Grants Unique to Scotland – No Direct English Equivalent
During the pandemic, the Scottish Government introduced a number of devolved, Scotland-only business grants to address gaps left by UK-wide schemes. These supports were not available in England in the same form, and in several cases had no equivalent at all.
1. Strategic Framework Business Fund (SFBF) A core Scottish Government grant providing automatic, recurring payments to businesses affected by Scotland’s tiered protection levels and lockdowns. Payments reflected the severity and duration of Scottish restrictions, rather than relying solely on local discretionary awards as in England.
2. Mobile and Home-Based Close Contact Services Fund (MCC) A Scotland-only £4,000 grant for mobile and home-based close contact services (e.g. mobile hairdressers, beauticians, massage therapists, tattooists) and driving instructors. This fund explicitly recognised that mobile and home-based businesses were excluded from premises-based grants and often poorly served by UK self-employment schemes. England had no dedicated close-contact or mobile-business grant of this type.
3. Newly Self-Employed Hardship Fund A one-off Scottish grant for people who had recently become self-employed and were ineligible for SEISS. England relied solely on SEISS, leaving newly self-employed workers without equivalent support.
4. Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund (PERF) Targeted grants for strategically important Scottish SMEs that were vital to local or national supply chains but fell outside standard grant eligibility. This was a centrally designed Scottish intervention, not mirrored by any England-wide scheme.
5. Scotland-Specific Sector Hardship Funds A range of bespoke Scottish funds aimed at sectors disproportionately affected by restrictions, including: Creative industries Tourism and hospitality Wedding and exclusive-use venues Travel agents and tour guides Indoor sports facilities Campervan and motorhome hire England relied primarily on local discretionary grants, without nationally defined, sector-specific schemes of this kind.
6. B&B and Self-Catering Accommodation Support (Council-Tax Based) Scottish grants specifically designed for B&Bs and accommodation businesses paying council tax rather than business rates, a group largely excluded from England’s main grant structures.
7. Local Authority Discretionary Funds (Scottish Design) While England had Additional Restrictions Grants, Scotland provided separately designed discretionary funding, allowing councils to support businesses and sole traders explicitly excluded from UK and premises-based schemes, including mobile, seasonal and rural businesses.
While many headline COVID-19 schemes were UK-wide, Scotland repeatedly introduced additional grants to plug structural gaps particularly for:
Mobile and home-based workers
Newly self-employed people
Sector-specific and rural businesses
Several of these supports most notably the Mobile Close Contact Services Fund had no English equivalent at all, leaving similarly affected businesses in England dependent on inconsistent discretionary support or with no access to grants.
