A bacta delegation comprising Chief Executive John White, Head of Finance and Operations Robert Gibb and MSO Justine Hilson attended the first Scottish Region meeting of the year held at Ubiquitous Chip in Glasgow’s West End on 9th May. The meeting provided an opportunity to report on the latest updates in relation to the White Paper, outline the likely timetable for the consultation programme and to answer questions from members.

Reviewing the meeting John White underlined the importance and value of being able to meet with members face-to-face. He stated: “It’s vital to be able to spend time mixing with the bacta membership and to discuss the issues of the day. Although revenues are generally holding-up it’s the costs of running a business that are slaughtering everyone. Whether businesses are trading in Aberdeen or Andover energy costs are threatening to destroy livelihoods. However, I believe the challenges facing bacta’s Scottish members are more acute due to the high number of independent operators we have in the region. In terms of the opportunity to add income members were particularly engaged by the White Paper recommendation to replace the 80/20 rule with a change to 50/50. Clearly, if the Secretary of State’s commitment to remove some of the restrictions impacting the land-based sector ring true operators can look ahead to the future with greater optimism.”

He added: “By meeting informally I think you get a clearer picture of the industry and the challenges facing businesses. All of the feedback we receive from members helps to inform our policies moving forward.”