
According to the Business, Innovation and Skills select committee: ?Helping British businesses to thrive and grow is vital to the UK?s long-term economic prosperity.? However, the group of MPs warned that the support on offer amounts to an ?alphabet soup? through which businesses are struggling to wade.
The committee found a total of more than 600 support schemes, but said that many of them are not well signposted. Others, it said, are difficult to access even when small business owners can find out about them. The select committee?s findings tally with our own research. Late last year we conducted a landmark survey into the realities of life as a sole trader or micro business owner. Our research pointed to a sense of dislocation between these individuals and both central and local government. More than half said that no one political party represents their needs, but just as importantly, there was general disillusionment amongst entrepreneurs when it comes to state support for businesses. The majority of respondents said that they would approach family and friends first about a business issue. More people said they would seek no help than said they would approach BIS or a local community group. Perhaps most damningly, more people said they were not sure who to turn to than said they would talk to their local MP. Clearly, there is a wholesale lack of trust in the support that is available, even where small business owners are aware of it. We urgently need to confront the sense of isolation felt amongst these entrepreneurs. They need accessible and useful support, and they need sounding boards for their ideas and concerns. Local authorities are best placed to deliver this. In many cases local authority representatives will already be familiar with these sole traders and micro business owners, especially in rural areas, and they are likely to be more receptive than central government to the distinct needs these individuals have. Read more about business support:- 12-month support scheme for female entrepreneurs launched by Santander
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