It’s time to put on your positive pants

Pessimism never won any battle, and these words, first uttered by Army General and former US President Dwight Eisenhower, are my mantra for 2023.

And if you’re reading this from an AB zip code, I’d like that to be your mantra, too.

Put on your positive pants. Embrace change and move forward rather than backward.

Last year, like 2021 and 2020 before it, was a year of corruption for many businesses in the region.

But I think this year, with the right mindset, we can make positive changes.

There are many challenges the Chamber of Commerce is focusing on with lasers this year. The first is to ensure a prosperous future for Union Street.

We need a new story about our city center that focuses on its rich history and tells the story of its revival and Renaissance.

Arguing over and over that “it didn’t suit you in the past” is of no use. The world has changed, so it’s not what it used to be.

focus on the future

The street is lined with first floor units for nearly two miles. In 2023, he couldn’t get two miles of retail in Dubai, let alone Aberdeen. So focus your energy on what the streets will be, not what the streets will be.

Yes, there are a lot of empty units – 111 out of 461 at the last count – but with a targeted business development approach it can be redeployed.

With Aberdeen Inspired and other partners, the Chamber of Commerce has worked to build coalitions that play a leading role in attracting new business to the city.

We will get nowhere by arguing endlessly, “It didn’t matter before.” ”

Some people say they can’t. However, since autumn in the retail era, seeds have been sown for a new spring in the form of fresh start relief.

In most cases, once a vacant home is occupied again, it is eligible for restart relief.

This gives eligible companies a 100% reduction in rates for the first year of trading.

According to Aberdeen City Council, 107 out of 111 vacant units on Union Street meet these criteria.

Of the 47 first-floor units, all but two are eligible for Fresh Start relief and could provide a significant boost to reoccupation plans.

So let’s talk confidently about the ongoing regeneration in our city centre.

More than £60 million has been invested in improving Union Terrace Gardens and the new international market.

A ‘compelling case’ in the city center

If the landlord plays ball, the new occupants may get a year of free rent and fees.

And I think this, along with the statistics that back up the spending power of this affluent region, if packaged and marketed the right way, makes a compelling case for any business looking for a new location.

Another challenge the Chamber of Commerce will focus on in 2023 is to ensure a more rational debate about the future of oil and gas in the energy mix.

This leads us to another Eisenhower quote. “The world moves on and what was once a good idea isn’t always good.

Given that the country already imports 38% of its energy (at a greater environmental cost), your speculation on new North Sea exploration is met with complete distrust in the North East of Scotland. Reverse this harmful and job-destroying position before it becomes. https://t.co/eYQoM124d6

— Aberdeen & Grampian Chamber of Commerce (@chambertalk) January 10, 2023

The world has moved on after COP26 in Glasgow. This prompted our first minister to surprise his parliamentary colleagues by announcing that he would oppose further oil and gas exploration in the North Sea.

Since then, she has doubled down on this position and transferred it to government policy. This is very staggering for a government that was in favor of maximizing economic recovery when it came to power.

Looking through the prism of the climate crisis, we can understand why Nicola Sturgeon wants to prioritize investing in green energy.

While no one denies the need to cut emissions, she continues to overlook the post-COP26 world in her opposition to the new hydrocarbons of the energy transition.

The war in Ukraine has clearly highlighted the fragility of global markets and the fault lines of globalization.

It also raised serious concerns about national energy security for the first time since the 1970s.

Holyrood energy policy ‘makes little economic sense’

Our oil and gas production has already more than halved in the last 20 years. During the same period, the amount of energy generated from renewable sources increased, but at a modest pace, and energy consumption remained flat.

All barrels left under the North Sea are barrels that the UK would have to import from another part of the world, with a heavier carbon toll that shipping across the sea carries.

That’s why I’m optimistic. Facing renewed opposition from the Scottish government, it makes little economic sense, and it makes little environmental sense.

Russell Borthwick is Chief Executive Officer of the Aberdeen and Grampian Chambers of Commerce.