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Government SME support blasted

Nov 30 2006

BCC calls for SBS to be axed
Nearly two-thirds of small businesses have given the Government a thumbs-down over the level of support provided for start-ups, says a survey conducted by telecoms specialist Unicom.

This follows strong criticism of the Small Business Service by the British Chamber of Commerce (BCC) resulting in a call for it to be axed. ‘It is time to end the cycle of failure and underachievement in supporting small businesses,’ said David Frost, director general of the BCC. ‘The SBS does not carry the necessary weight in government to achieve tangible improvements.’

According to the study of over 250 businesses, more than 60 per cent of UK SMEs feel that the support they receive from the government is seriously lacking, and only 16 per cent believe they receive enough support to get up and running.

‘What is particularly significant is that a further 24 per cent said
they had given up caring and were battling on regardless,’ says Chris Earle,
Operations Director of Unicom, ‘in effect, that is an 85 per cent vote of no confidence in the government's commitment and ability to support small business in Britain.'

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