Government launches enhanced business support

News Article - 17 April 2008
Category: Business

The government has appointed an expert to the position of chair of the transition management board for the Business Support Simplification Programme (BSSP).

Martin Temple, current chair of the manufacturers' organisation EEF, will assume his new role this week, overseeing attempts by the government to simplify the current system of support for businesses.

The BSSP aims to reduce the number of government-funded support schemes for businesses from 3,000 to less than 100 by 2010 under a series of measures delivered through Business Link.

Ministers claim that reducing the number of government-backed business support schemes will enhance their effectiveness, control costs and produce more impact with the same resources.

Announcing the appointment, UK business minister Shriti Vadera said: "This is an important appointment to ensure delivery of our commitment to simplify and ease the access of our support for growing businesses. I am confident Martin's long experience and perspective from businesses using business support will be invaluable."

Business secretary John Hutton has insisted in a speech to the Confederation of British Industry that the government supports business and will be implementing a range of measures aimed at helping small firms to weather the credit crunch, including an extra £60 million for the Small Firms Loan Guarantee scheme this year.

Small businesses trying to make the most of their resources and funding should invest in accounting software in order to manage their operations more effectively and enhance business productivity.

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