Colin Clark, MP for Gordon, visited the Inverurie premises of GPH on Friday.
Mike Macauley, Chairman, and Grant Shewan, MD, along with fellow directors Ken Findlay and John Glover, had an interesting and productive meeting with Clark. Also present at the meeting was Graham Bolton, Regional Manager of the Builders Merchants Federation.
A wide range of issues were covered, including business rates, local authority contracts, building affordable housing and the effect of Brexit on north east Scotland.
Lengthy discussion was held on the lack of support in public procurement for local SME suppliers and sub-contractors to benefit from large publicly-funded construction projects, such as the Aberdeen Exhibition & Conference Centre and the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route.
Shewan said: “We are grateful to Colin for taking the time to visit our Inverurie depot. As a local business in the north east of Scotland with 120 employees, it is important that the challenges facing our business are heard by our local elected member. We look forward to working closely with Colin on these issues in the future.”
Clark added: “As MP for Gordon, I am really keen to visit local companies to discuss issues that affect them. GPH is the largest independent merchant north of Dundee, a stalwart of the NE supplying trades people and DIY enthusiasts for over 30 years.
"Worryingly, self-builds are drying up and several local smaller scale builders have failed. I want to see the economy of the Gordon constituency and the north east continue grow stronger. The message is clear: Gordon is open for business and I will always support local businesses who drive the local economy.”
Bolton summed up: “It is good to see local politicians like Colin taking an interest in BMF members and appreciating the challenges that face our members not only in north east Scotland but throughout the UK."
