September
 Would you support an additional 1% business rate to help fund the regeneration of Aberdeen city centre. If so how should it be spent?
I support the 1% levy and I think it is an opportunity for Aberdeen to really set the pace in this kind of initiative. It is a new, fresh way of raising private sector finance and if targeted effectively could be used towards spearheading the regeneration of the city centre.
Promotion of the evening retail and leisure economy is central towards differentiating ourselves from other outlying cities. We have a very low key offering at the moment. Thursday late nights are very vibrant for us but for the rest of the week stores and shops tend to close at 5.30 or 6pm, which is a real missed opportunity.
I would like to see some of this levy spent on promoting and supporting businesses to extend their hours into the early evening economy on Monday to Friday and Saturday as well.
”It is a potentially a very fertile trading period and the spin off would be very beneficial for all types of business, and would pay for the increase in the rates they pay.
Andrew MacKinnon - general manager of Union Square, Aberdeen
 As a small business on reduced business rates I would be in favour of this contribution as long as every business within the site was contributing too. As my business is a good distance away from the site, there is always the risk that I may lose business to a business of the same trade which is nearer or within the site. Should there be another butchery business opened within the site I would expect to be given access to a grant to upgrade my own business to compete or be part of the business within the site. Overall it would be a great opportunity to get the public back into the habit of shopping at independent stores and away from supermarkets which can only be a good thing.
Andrew Gordon of Andrew Gordon Butchery & Fine Foods
 I am sure most mature businesses in and around Aberdeen would not mind paying an additional 1% on business rates. After all, we live and work in the area and our employees and in many cases our customers also live and work in the area. Money invested wisely close to home should benefit us all.Agreement in principle is one thing. Getting to the stage where the majority of businesses in the area wholeheartedly embrace the concept and become willing payers year after year, is quite another matter. For instance, I would not want to see extra rate payments going into one single pot along with existing business rates payments. Instead I would wish to see an entirely separate pot and expect the spending and investing of that to be influenced by business owner representatives on behalf of the wider community. If not already under consideration, it would make sense to me at least for ACSEF to have responsibility for considering competing initiatives and ultimately determine the allocation of an additional rates pool. This way we would be tapping into an existing organisation with a strong board thereby preventing duplication and or conflict. To my mind this solution would significantly increase the probability of success.
Sandy Robertson - Managing Director, Acumen Group
 I would support an increase if the money was ring-fenced for the specific purpose of regeneration. A public private partnership should be established, featuring ACSEF, Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce and the city council to ensure the dynamism of the North-east business community influences how the money is spent.
The regeneration of Union Street is at the heart of the process and should combine retail outlets and residential expansion into the unused space above street level. Pedestrianisation is not the answer. I want better provision for cars and more parking. The public transport initiatives have had huge sums of money spent on them and yet have been a fantastic failure as far as I’m concerned.
I’d like to see how we could link the new Union Square centre with the Trinity, St Nicholas and Bob Accord centres. At present we have distinct, but isolated shopping centres. Better use of public space would also be good. However, no amount of money will make a difference unless it is supported by a greater sense of pride and respect demonstrated by Aberdonians for the city.
Ian Ord - Business Development Director, Fifth Ring Integrated Corporate Communications
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