Independent retailers have launched a stinging attack on Perth and Kinross Council.
They claim the local authority is driving away business by failing to provide vital support to both fledgling and long-established companies.
As the row has escalated, one of the city’s most prominent restaurateurs has been moved to speak out.
Disheartened by the ongoing decline of the city centre, Paula Tabourel has hit out at efforts being made by the local authority to reverse the downward trend.
Council chiefs have accepted it is a “challenging climate for retailers of all kinds” but refuted claims independents are being left to fend for themselves.
Head of planning David Littlejohn said the council was “absolutely committed” to helping the economy grow and was investing millions in the city centre.
Despite claims of financial and business support, Ms Tabourel who owns Pig’Halle and set up Caf Tabou, Breizh and Sante is adamant that more needs to be done.
“Nobody is in charge of taking things forward,” she said. “There aren’t enough incentives to bring businesses into Perth or to support existing local businesses.
“I am working in a city and paying rates to a council that appears to have little or no network of support for its businesses.
“We arrived in Perth to open Caf Tabou in 2003 that’s £500,000 of business rates in 11 years and yet, apparently my opinion means nothing.”
She listed a catalogue of issues she believes have contributed to the situation in Perth, including limited and expensive parking, high rates and a lack of ambition and investment by the local authority.
Her views were echoed by Willie White, who has owned Willows Caf for 22 years and faced his own struggles.
Although he has tried to liaise with Perth and Kinross Council by attending city centre management meetings, he criticised the attitude of local authority representatives.
He said: “At one meeting, there was a senior council official who, when the subject of holding big events like the Christmas lights switch-on on Sundays came up, rolled his eyes and waved his hands.
“That is what we are dealing with here we try to put forward our ideas on how to encourage more people to visit Perth and no one listens.
“It feels like the only time the council gets involved with your business is when you do something like put a chair over your boundary line.”
This has been denied by city centre manager Leigh Brown, who said the local authority was behind numerous initiatives designed to support the retail sector, including a pilot Social High Street scheme, free advertising resources and various events.
She urged more retailers to take part in the scheme and pointed out that a number of Scotland’s major towns and cities lacked any sort of city centre management team.
Meanwhile, Mr Littlejohn said the council was “limited” to what it could do to help and that it had already invested “millions” in the city centre.
“All of that is optional and we do it because we want to grow the economy and create more jobs and wealth,” he said.
“A minority of retailers seem to have an expectation that this money should be made available and that they have a right to demand that the council provides help.
“There has to be a balance between what the council contributes to create the right conditions for growth and what individuals need to do to help their own business.
“Unless retailers change their offering such as trading on the internet the only way to grow businesses is to attract more people from outside the area.
“We need to start talking the place up as, if people see so much negativity, it could become off-putting.”