Business views on Forth Road Bridge closure

8th December 2015

Deputy First Minister chairs teleconference with business organisations.

Deputy First Minister John Swinney today chaired a meeting of business organisations to hear about the impact of the closure of the Forth Road Bridge.

Commenting following the meeting, Mr Swinney said:The run-up to Christmas is critical for many businesses and there is no doubt the closure of the Forth Road Bridge will have a significant effect on the economy.

That's why we have worked quickly to implement a travel plan that helps firms mitigate, as far as possible, the inconvenience of the bridge closure.

Since last week, we have been in regular contact with the main business organisations in Scotland and large employers in the area, while local authorities and enterprise agencies have been engaging with individual businesses to share information and identify practical steps that could be taken.

The meeting today was an opportunity for business groups to feed in the views of their members so we can fully understand the implications of the closure on business and for staff. This was a constructive and comprehensive discussion and a number of strong proposals were made. We will fully consider the points made by the business community and I am clear that if the travel plan needs to be altered, we will do that.

We will continue to work closely in partnership with business in the coming weeks to keep all issues under review.