THIS week, I visited Scotland’s largest indoor market, the Forge Market in Parkhead.

Regular readers of the Glasgow Times will know the market hasn’t had the easiest of times over the past few years with the pandemic hitting traders and businesses.

Indeed, the message relayed to me from many of the small business owners was clear last week.

They are still reeling at

senior SNP figures such as

then Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, Nicola Sturgeon and local MP David Linden for failing to stand up for them during the pandemic.

Due to a loophole that only existed in Scotland, many of these small business owners went through the entire pandemic without a single bit of help from Scottish Government Business Grants.

This happened in the Forge Market despite the UK Government stepping in to close similar loopholes in England but still the SNP refused to act.

Many of these traders have now sadly moved on and the place was quieter than usual.

However, speaking to those traders still there the message of recovery was clear. The Forge Market remains very much open for business!

Despite the ongoing cost of living crisis we are all grappling with thanks to the damaging inflationary effects of Putin’s war in Ukraine, many families still make the trip to the market as a regular feature in their week.

I always remember it fondly myself as a child, going along with my gran to get biscuits and the occasional bargain, and it’s a tradition I hope to pass on to my own son Joshua in the years to come.

At this point, I will declare a wee interest as my best friend from school has opened his own stall this past week too.

I obviously hope that stall will be a roaring success and I applaud him for taking the plunge and opening up a new business in the current climate.

I would encourage everyone from across the city to pay a visit to the Forge and give our traders the support they desperately require.

Politicians of all different colours talk a good game when it comes to supporting small, local businesses but for me, it is all too often not backed up by decisive action.

After all, businesses create jobs and those jobs are the single best way out of poverty. An anti-business attitude is sadly running through the heart of the Scottish Government, especially since the SNP brought the extremist Greens into the ministerial corridor.

Take their continued refusal to pass on rates relief to our hospitality, leisure and retail businesses for this financial year head, to the tune of 75%. That level of support has been passed on in England and Wales but SNP-Green ministers have refused to listen to the calls from hard-pressed businesses.

It means that 100,000 of them – including many in this city – will be short-changed in the year ahead and be paying more in rates than counterparts elsewhere.

Times are already tough enough without them being put at a competitive disadvantage by the ministers responsible.

So, I urge all readers from across the city, if you get the chance get out and show our local businesses the support they need.

Shop local and back our entrepreneurs, and if you’re free Thursday to Sunday, 9am until 5pm, make sure you pop into the Forge Market ... a bargain awaits!