Supporting Hospitality and Small Businesses in North East Fife

Wendy visiting Couper Carpets of Cupar

It’s no surprise that visitors travel from across the world to enjoy North East Fife - from the world-famous golf courses of St Andrews to our historic towns, beautiful coastline and vibrant local festivals, we have so much to offer. The hundreds of thousands of tourists who visit us each year, in turn create thousands of local jobs.

But like many other small businesses across the UK, those in North East Fife are under pressure. Rising costs, staffing shortages, and the long shadow of the pandemic have left businesses in a fragile position. Over the summer, I visited a range of local businesses and took part in Scotland Loves Local Week. These visits were a chance to hear directly about the challenges owners face, from unpredictable footfall to the added burden of increased National Insurance contributions, which can make it even harder for small businesses to keep staff and invest in their futures. In addition, the continued failure of the Scottish Government to provide business rates relief for the sector in contrast to other parts of the UK, increases overall costs.

Hospitality is about more than food, drink, or accommodation. It’s about the people who run our cafes, pubs, restaurants, and hotels, and the visitors they welcome. It’s about the communities that thrive when small businesses succeed, whether that’s a family-run shop in the East Neuk, a guest house in Cupar, or a restaurant on Leven High Street. When these businesses struggle, our wider communities feel the impact too. This week Parliament will be debating particular issues affecting hospitality and I’m grateful to those businesses who have written to me about their own difficulties.

That’s why I’ll be hosting a breakfast roundtable for local small businesses on 9th October. It will be an opportunity to share experiences, highlight concerns, and discuss practical ways we can better support our local economy. If you’re a small business owner in North East Fife and would like to attend, please do get in touch by emailing me at wendy.chamberlain.mp@parliament.uk to book a place.

North East Fife has so much to offer, but we cannot take our businesses for granted. By working together, listening to their needs, and pressing for policies that ease the pressures they face, we can ensure our hospitality and tourism sector continues to thrive for years to come.