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Tories call for more small business help

May 14 2008

The Conservative task force on small business has called for the establishment of a central information service for small firms.

Chair of the force Doug Richard told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that the current system of small business advice should not be based on a regional system and criticised the 150 government websites that provide such a service.

He said that the decision for the government to go into small business advice was 'beyond its remit' and added that most small firms agreed with him.

'Of those which have tried to get advice from the government, less than half of one per cent are satisfied with the result,' he added.

A lack of measurement of the effectiveness of each programme meant it was difficult to decide which ones to keep: 'I call for measurement, analysis, objective criteria', commented Richard, 'I make very specific recommendations and I start with the notion that what the Government can do is provide information clearly and simply.'

He said that small businesses needed 'clear and simple information', a reduction in red tape and space in which to grow.

Presenter Evan Davis noted that there are already small business advice sericves on the web and cited SmallBusiness.co.uk as an example.

According to the Conservatives, of the estimated £2 billion that the government invests in small business, over a third goes into administrative costs.

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