It has been announced by tie that the businesses who were whinging about the lack of compensation have won, with the deadline for firms having set up being moved to February 2007.
Following discussions between tie and the City Council it had been decided to set the deadline as April 2006 because that is when Parliamentary approval was given for the trams. But traders and the Federation of Small Businesses argued there was still doubt over whether it would actually go ahead. After further discussions tie and the Council have agreed to move the deadline to February 2007.
Cllr Tom Buchanan, economic development leader, said: “We want to be a council known for being fair and considerate to all businesses, so we have decided to widen the dates. Businesses open before February 1 will now be eligible to apply and this date is the final cut-off point. I am grateful to colleagues within tie for being understanding in our desire to make these changes."
Graham Russell, from the Edinburgh branch of the Federation of Small Businesses, commented: “am delighted – this U-turn by tie is a total victory for the FSB. The cut-off date was completely unfair and I was disappointed that other business groups in the city could not see this. We must acknowledge the role of Tom Buchanan in this. He has pushed it along and we have now finally reached a sensible compromise."
Source: The Scotsman