smallbusiness.co.uk: Helping your business think big

Leading small business group, the FSB has called on the Government to put its money where its mouth is in 2006 and deliver on six key promises made to the small business community.

‘This year should be a year when the Government finally delivers on its promises and frees small businesses to get on with the job of creating wealth and driving innovation,’ states Carol Undy, Federation of Small Businesses National Chairman.

‘In practice this means giving small businesses more say in decision-making; stemming the relentless flow of new regulations and simplifying existing ones; cutting business crime; ensuring no compulsion on pensions; giving small businesses access to Olympic contracts; and clamping down on late payers while also speeding cheque clearance times.’

Getting the voice of small businesses heard
Small businesses are the engine of job creation and the generators of new ideas and business innovation. The FSB is urging the Government in 2006 to value the contribution small businesses make by ensuring adequate small business representation on decision-making bodies and delivering a business environment in which they can thrive.

Red tape
The government made much of cutting red tape and regulation on small businesses in 2005 and a great deal of work has gone into looking at the administrative burdens on small businesses. In practice, however, very little has happened. 2006 must be the year to deliver real cuts in red tape.

Cutting business crime
The FSB is calling on the Home Office to deliver a key performance indicator for business crime so that police forces give the same priority to crime against business as they do for domestic crime. The Government must also consult fully on the proposed Police Service reform, which should not come at the expense of plans for neighbourhood policing.

Pensions
The FSB acknowledges the need to tackle the pensions’ shortfall and welcomes debate on the issue. But the Government should not be tempted to shackle small businesses with compulsory employer contributions when it delivers its response to the Turner report in 2006. Instead, the FSB believes automatic enrolment in existing and new pension schemes should be tried first, as should all other options.

Sharing Olympic success
The 2012 Olympics will be a boost to businesses not just in the London region, but all over the UK. The FSB is urging the Olympic Delivery Authority to deliver for small businesses and ensure that they get a fair chance to apply for procurement contracts in the run-up to 2012.

Late payment and early payment
The FSB will publish Private Sector Payment Performance League Tables in January 2006, which will name and shame big businesses that fail to settle their invoices and pay small business suppliers in good time. At the same time, the Government should deliver on its promise to speed up cheque clearance times.

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