Agenda item

Consider presentation by Nicola Hutchinson, Scotland’s Towns Partnership.

3.1       The Chairman welcomed Ms Nicola Hutchinson of Scotland’s Towns Partnership to provide a presentation on the Scotland Loves Local (SLL) Gift Card scheme.   Ms Hutchinson explained that the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card scheme was supported and spearheaded by the Scottish Government.  The scheme aimed to promote local spending, boost local businesses, and make communities stronger.  Each of the 32 Local Authorities in Scotland had a programme.  The card covered all sectors, excluding gambling, and was free to access for every business, with almost 4,700 merchants signed up.  The card was sold online at www.scotlandgiftslocal.com.   Two-thirds of Local Authorities were actively promoting the SLL programme, and there had been 6,002 business registrations.  Approximately 3,500 unique merchants had been registered, with £580,843 spent to date.  That figure did not include disbursement programmes.  Ms Hutchinson highlighted that on average recipients of cards spent 65% more than the value of the gift when they used their gift card.  The SLL card could be used to disburse funds to low income households; as corporate rewards; to drive consumer spend; and also to provide sector specific support.

3.2       Ms Hutchinson highlighted an example of Disbursement carried out by Glasgow City Council, who had used their Local Authority Covid Economic Recovery funding to provide £105 to 83,000 Glasgow residents.  The cards had been provided to people who were in receipt of council tax reductions.  The programme had been a success, with £7.7m spent in Glasgow businesses between the end of August and November, 85% of which was spent in food stores.  Other Local Authorities in Scotland had subsequently approached Scotland’s Towns Partnership with a view to providing support to low income families in a similar way.  The card could also be used as an employee reward in place of other non-cash rewards, which would help support local businesses.  The effect of maximising footfall and spend was also highlighted, and local business partnerships could also reward consumers with other incentives, such as buy one get one free and discounted SLL gift cards.  The SLL gift card could also be used to drive spend in specific sectors such as tourism and hospitality by making the cards available to those sectors at a discounted rate. 

3.3       The Scottish Borders gift card had been launched on 9 November 2022, with 91 merchants registered to accept the gift card across the Scottish Borders Council area. The majority of merchants were retail based, which was in line with expectations and consumer perception.  It was hoped that the number of registered businesses would continue to increase, and work would continue with key stakeholders to promote the programme’s benefits.  Ms Hutchinson expressed her hope that Members would continue to promote the scheme and encouraged attendees to spread the word.  Members thanked Ms Hutchinson for her presentation and expressed their hopes that the scheme would be a success.  In response to a question regarding the ability to put additional money onto cards, Ms Hutchinson explained that it was not currently possible to top the cards up, but that a digital version of the card was being worked on.  Regarding the potential development of a points based rewards programme for retailers, Ms Hutchinson explained that she was not aware of any other Local Authorities adopting such a scheme.  Each Local Authority could develop their own plans, and the Scottish Borders could potentially create a rewards scheme.  It was confirmed that window stickers for signed up merchants were available and had been sent to Scottish Borders Council.  Ms Hutchinson undertook to share her presentation. 

DECISION

NOTED the presentation.