Scottish Parliament and the AV Referendum

Written evidence from the Federation of Small Businesses (AV 08)

Thank you for your email to the FSB of 17th September concerning the timing of the proposed referendum on AV for UK parliamentary elections and the amount of consultation thereon.

On the one hand, it could be argued that holding the referendum and elections on the same day means there will be one fewer day when schools are closed for use as Polling Places. On the other, some may voice concerns that it could dilute what will be an extremely important Scottish Parliament election campaign.

This is not, however, an issue which has been raised with us by our members. This is perhaps not wholly surprising, as, beyond the very general arguments above, it is not immediately apparent whether this proposed move will be advantageous or disadvantageous to small businesses in Scotland.

For these reasons this is not a matter on which the FSB in Scotland has taken a view.

29 September 2010