BUSINESSES devastated by the fire at the Glasgow School of Art will be let off £2 million in business rates, but authorities have been accused of just “treating the symptoms” of urban neglect. 

Labour Glasgow North East MP Paul Sweeney said a failure to implement a proactive anti-fire strategy is putting “every single one” of the city’s historic buildings at risk.

The Scottish government announced yesterday that £1.85 million of its fire recovery fund will be used by Glasgow City Council to provide business rates relief and support business recovery to those affected.

The Charles Rennie Mackintosh building was gutted by a fire in June, just four years after another serious blaze. And in March this year, Victoria’s nightclub, which lay just along Sauchiehall Street from the art school, was destroyed in a fire.

With the new funding, every business which was in the immediate fire cordon and some in the wider Sauchiehall Street area will be exempt from rates from January to March.

And an additional £150,000 grant will be channelled to the Centre for Contemporary Arts, which was closed for months as a result of the fire at its sister institution.

Two hundred businesses in the area have already received more than £3 million from the £5 million fund, which Economy Secretary Derek Mackay announced in July.

Mr Mackay said: “This relief will provide much-needed breathing space while businesses resume trade and allow them to focus on the commercial opportunities of the festive period in the knowledge that they will not face any additional business rates liabilities related to the period between January to March.”

Mr Sweeney, the shadow minister for Scotland at Westminster, told the Star that Scottish government assistance for businesses was “long overdue.”

But he warned: “Given that there have been multiple fires in the same area in such short period of time, the role of government is not simply to react and treat the symptoms. It’s imperative that we look at the reasons why. 

“Glasgow is blessed with hundreds of beautiful historic buildings, but there is a fear that every single one of them remains at risk without a proactive strategy for fire prevention.

“Another significant fire in the city could prove to be the final nail in the coffin for many businesses. We owe it to them to look at the bigger picture and ensure that the right lessons are learned.”