East Ayrshire Council makes pledge to choose local
East Ayrshire Council has made a pledge to boost the region’s economy by choosing to support local businesses whenever it possibly can.
Leader of the Council, Councillor Douglas Reid has signed the Scotland Loves Local Pledge, promising to prioritise spending with enterprises in the region.
It is a statement of intent - ahead of Scotland Loves Local Week starting on Monday 26 August, which further enhances the Council's ethos to think local first.
The Council’s support for local business already includes using family-run Mauchline organic dairy Mossgiel to supply its school milk.
And it has been a national trailblazer in the use of local gift cards in encouraging residents to spend with businesses in their community - with the East Ayrshire Gift Card credited with creating a boost for the local economy.
A digital version of the gift card is due to go live within days.
Councillor Reid said: “We were proud to be pioneers of shop local gift cards. With the changing retail environment it has given all sorts of businesses an opportunity to expand the way in which they carry out transactions, while also allowing them to compete with the online giants.
“With the back up of our Community Led Regeneration Team, and working in partnership with the local Business Associations, we’ve explored many innovative ways of using the cards, run promotions and competitions and worked with retailers to make the East Ayrshire Gift Cards a success. It’s been a joint effort which has paid off, keeping money circulating locally and supporting all types of local business.”
East Ayrshire Council’s signing of the pledge has been welcomed by Kilmarnock Business Association, which has also signed.
Chair Craig Hume, managing director of Utopia Computers, said: "When you shop local, you're not just buying a product—you're backing the bold, the brave, and the brilliant minds right on your doorstep. It's not just about spending money; it's about supporting someone's dream, helping build a community, and ensuring our vibrant independent shops have a future."
Other organisations, businesses and individuals across the region are being urged to show their commitment to choosing local by following the council’s lead in signing the pledge - then following that with action.
It states: “We will choose local, prioritising the people and businesses around us at every opportunity.”
About 240 other enterprises locally have benefited from the East Ayrshire Gift Card - which broke new ground nationally as it was used to help low-income families buy school uniforms, as well as a means by which to support people and businesses more widely through the cost of living crisis.
The Council says that every £1 spent with the gift card has translated into £6 into the local economy because of the knock-on effect of people supporting local businesses - critical to their survival and success.
Councillor Reid added: “Of course we could not have succeeded without the support of local people, buying, giving and using the East Ayrshire Gift Card. There is a growing recognition that we must ‘use or lose’ our high street businesses. Giving a local gift card is a gift that benefits many more than the individual who receives it. We can all do our bit to help keep jobs, shops and prosperity in our area through the choices we make.”
The positive impact of choosing local will be highlighted by East Ayrshire Council throughout Scotland Loves Local Week, which is spearheaded by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP) and takes place from August 26th until September 1st.
It will highlight its power to build stronger, more sustainable communities through social media activity and visits to businesses to highlight their work locally.
STP, which shone a spotlight on the region’s regeneration work when it held the Scotland’s Towns Conference at Kilmarnock’s CentreStage in 2022, believes millions of pounds more can be injected into regional economies if more residents and businesses think local first.
Chief officer Kimberley Guthrie said: “Greater support for local enterprises protects jobs and businesses. And that support underpins the tireless work taking place to help communities adapt to our ever-changing world, seizing opportunities to innovate, invest and make our communities better places to live, work and visit.”
STP leads the Scotland Loves Local initiative as a means to boost local economies and improve places by galvanising support for the people and businesses in them.
Notes to editors
Background information
This news release has been prepared and issued by Scotland Loves Local.
- For media enquires about Scotland Loves Local, contact Chris Story at Message Matters (chris@messagematters.co.uk / 07375 065728).
- Scotland Loves Local is managed by Scotland’s Towns Partnership (STP), with support from the Scottish Government. More details can be found at www.lovelocal.scot and by following #ScotlandLovesLocal on social media.
- STP is the national body for Scotland’s towns and all those who work to support the country’s towns and city districts; a hub to help people learn, connect, find practical support and advice, and share good practice and knowledge. The organisation’s deep rooted knowledge of the towns landscape and extensive range of services supports the Scottish Government's ongoing commitment to secure a positive future for Scotland's towns.