A Dundee pub owner is fearing for the future of her business as she continues to miss out on government support due to a Covid-19 breach last May.
Lynn Mackie, who has run Ross’s Bar on Arbroath Road for the past 17 years, is losing out on grants from the Scottish Government’s Strategic Framework Business Fund after she admitted serving alcohol to workmen carrying out maintenance in the pub during the first national lockdown.
The breach, which she has blamed on a mistake on her part, could prevent her from re-opening in the coming weeks if she is not eligible for a Scottish Government start-up grant, as well as further funding .
Lynn was sanctioned in November and had her licence suspended after a police report found she broke the coronavirus regulations on May 3 last year.
She has received no funding since December, despite her suspension being lifted on January 19.
She said: “The suspension came about because I gave a glass of free beer that was going to waste in my kegs to a couple of painters who were in the pub working for me during lockdown.
“I was reported and as a result my licence was suspended. The council and the Scottish Government have said that as a result I am not entitled to any further funding.
“I accept what happened and was not looking for money for the duration of the suspension but I don’t understand why all future funding is also stopped now that the suspension has ended.”
Under the guidelines set out by the government, businesses which make clear breaches are disqualified from future funding.
However, there are loopholes which give some leeway to “minor” or “inadvertent” breaches, at the discretion of local authorities.
Lynn believes Dundee City Council is making an example of her.
“My concern is there is a loophole in the guidelines that the council is taking advantage of not to pay out money,” she said.
“I still have bills and staff to pay but as a result of this decision I have lost around £20,000 to date in grants.
“My business is still viable and I am no longer suspended but I need the start up grant to be able to get up and running.
“If I had known at the licensing hearing that all future grants would be lost to me I would not have accepted their decision.”
She said she was also concerned that there was no way for her to appeal her position
“Surely there needs to be a right of appeal for anyone who feels they have been wrongly or harshly dealt with,” she said.
A spokesman for Dundee City Council said: “While we cannot comment on individual cases, we can confirm that conditions of funding for the Strategic Framework Business Fund are set by Scottish Government.
“These are published on their website and made clear on the application form.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Businesses which have breached Covid-19 regulations are generally disqualified from eligibility for our financial support schemes.
“We do, however, recognise that there may be exceptional circumstances in which businesses make inadvertent or minor breaches of Covid-19 regulations.
“In these cases we encourage local authorities to engage their legal, environmental health and licensing teams to determine the severity of the breach and to satisfy themselves that the business is now complying with regulations.
“Where businesses have committed a flagrant or sustained breach of regulations then we have been clear that this disqualifies a business from financial support made available by the Scottish Government.
“Licensing issues are a matter for local licensing authorities.”