24/01/2012 by admin.

The Prime Minister plans to open vacant and under-used workplaces to small firms and new enterprises in a bid to kick-start the economy.

The initiative comes at the beginning of a week in which chances of the UK falling back into recession will become clearer when gross domestic product (GDP) figures for the final quarter of 2011 are published on Wednesday.

Mr Cameron will unveil the initiative during a visit to the North-East of England where he is due to address a group of entrepreneurs.

Mr Cameron is expected to say: “The British Government has a huge stock of buildings at our disposal. The first priority for the ones we aren’t using is to sell them off, but in the meantime, many are going to be sitting idle.

“So let’s match the capacity we’ve got with the need that’s out there. Let’s provide office space where we can to those who can use it.”

 The Government hopes to offer more than 300 Government buildings premises at low rates for one year so new companies can establish themselves.

 The tax-payer subsidised perk will be only available to small firms. Specialist business ‘incubation organisations’ will manage and allocate the spaces

 With cuts to the public payroll, many Government buildings lie empty or have space available as they await buyers. Officials said the space would be made available on “flexible, short-term arrangements” that will make productive use of the assets until they are sold.

As well as helping entrepreneurs, the initiative will give a much-needed boost to Treasury finances.

 Mr Cameron is expected to say: “I said 2012 has got to be the year we go for it, the year we light new fires of ambition in our economy, the year we get behind Britain’s grafters, doers, hard-workers and entrepreneurs.

 “This isn’t something we’d quite like to do - it’s something we’ve got to do because enterprise is critical to this country’s future.

“Enterprise is what we do in Britain. This is the year that, more than ever, we’ve got to go for it.”

 The Prime Minister will also launch a campaign aimed at encouraging people to believe £there is a business in everyone”.

The ‘Business in You’ drive will see companies hold workshops and give advice on tackling some of the issues faced by would-be bosses, with the scheme highlighted in radio, newspaper and billboard adverts throughout the year.

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14/03/2011 by admin.

No apologies to anyone, got this today and I have to share it. I guess it will be understood internationally. Always remember though, there are good and bad, two sides to every story, not everything is black or white - and I am standing for local Council later this year!

The Haircut

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill,
and the barber replied, ‘I cannot accept money from you, I’m doing community service this week.’
The florist was pleased and left the shop. When the barber went to open his shop the next morning,
there was a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.
Later, a policeman comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied,
‘I cannot accept money from you , I’m doing community service this week.’
The cop was happy and left the shop. The next morning when the barber went to open up,
there was a ‘thank you’ card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.
Then a Member of Parliament came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied,
‘I can not accept money from you. I’m doing community service this week.’
The Member of Parliament was very happy and left the shop. The next morning, when the barber went to open up,
there were a dozen MPs lined up waiting for a free haircut.
And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of this country and the politicians who run it.

BOTH POLITICIANS AND NAPPIES NEED TO BE CHANGED OFTEN…. AND FOR THE SAME REASON! 

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16/02/2011 by admin.

The FSB, the UK’s largest business organisation busts the myths that a fuel duty stabiliser is too complicated and expensive to put in place, in a new report published last month.

Critics have said that putting a fuel duty stabiliser in place – a mechanism to adjust fuel prices in order to alleviate the impact of oil price rise shocks on pump prices – is too complicated, expensive and bad for the environment.

However, in a new report ‘A fuel duty stabiliser – is it really that complicated?’, the FSB busts these myths and shows that it is simple, affordable and crucial to allow businesses to plan.

By basing the stabiliser on the oil price cycle, the level of fuel duty could be calculated against a trend price for oil. This would then be adjusted at regularly timed intervals following changes in the oil price cycle. So setting the level of the stabiliser would be straightforward: fuel duty would be X pence per litre minus a proportion of the difference between the current oil and trend oil price.

Introducing a fuel duty stabiliser would also provide greater certainty for businesses and families by stabilising the cost of fuel and allowing them to factor in fuel costs as they plan for the future. FSB research shows that the rise in fuel duty and uncertainty over fuel prices will have a significant impact on small businesses leading them to increase prices, freeze pay or even lay-off staff. The FSB is concerned that the cost of doing nothing to alleviate pressures of high fuel prices on small firms will vastly outweigh the cost of implementing a fuel duty stabiliser in the short-term.

The Government has said it is putting its faith in the private sector to lead the recovery, and the FSB believes that by introducing a fuel duty stabiliser, small firms will be able to effectively plan and grow their business.

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16/02/2011 by admin.

FSB Regional Chairman Roger House was interviewed by BBC Radio Kent and was for once almost lost for words when asked for comment on the Deputy PM’s request for better work life balance.

“Obviously we would all like more hours in the day, the FSB launched a campaign several years ago calling for a return of seven hours a week to business owners through reduced regulation” said Roger “Maybe he’s in the wrong job. What he needs to look at is Work Life Cost”.

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16/02/2011 by admin.

In a challenging economy, you have to be aware of potential markets. The public Sector are looking around to fulfill smaller contracts.

The Federation of Small Business has welcomed the Government’s commitment to overhaul the way that small businesses will be able to compete for public sector contracts, through cutting red tape and being more open and transparent.

Public sector procurement has long been an issue for small businesses, with 70 per cent of SMEs rarely bidding for public sector contracts due to a lack of awareness of the opportunities that are available and the red tape surrounding the application process.

For many small firms, access to public sector contracts comes through local government – with 27 per cent of FSB members supplying this sector. The FSB has long campaigned that local government is more transparent in the contracts that it has available, in the same way central government is, and the commitment to do this is a welcome step. 

Recent research into small firms’ access to public procurement markets across the EU places the UK 24th out of 27 member states, with only 24 per cent of contracts going to small firms, compared to 44 per cent in France.

Small and micro businesses do particularly badly in the UK, with only an estimated 11 per cent of the total value of contracts being awarded to businesses of that size. This is despite the fact that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) account for 49 per cent of the UK’s turnover.

The FSB is pleased that the Government has recognised that these barriers exist and has committed to making the process simpler. The initiatives, such as the reform of the pre-qualification questionnaire (PQQ) process and more transparency through a new contracts website, as well as providing a dedicated voice for small firms’ views to be heard, will mean more small businesses having the potential to access work.

We have worked hard to ensure that small firms have the same access to public sector contracts as big businesses. The measures outlined, which look to remove red tape and open up more transparent channels of communication, are most welcomed.

These measures will now need to be accompanied by a genuine cultural change within Government procurement in terms of its approach to dealing with small businesses. 

Removing the need to fill in a PQQ for smaller contracts is a bold move but it is vital that something more bureaucratic or confusing does not emerge in its place. We hope the promise of a dedicated voice for small suppliers within Government will help to prevent this.

The good thing is that the Government is going to publish figures on the amount of contracts going to SME’s so we will be able to measure its success and hold the Government to account if it is not working.  That type of measurement and transparency is something we’d like to see adopted more widely across the public sector.

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20/12/2010 by admin.

Following the Chancellor’s statement on the Comprehensive Spending Review today the Federation of Small Businesses has urged the Coalition Government to now put in place the missing link, namely a Small Business Programme for Growth.

FSB research has shown that three quarters of small businesses thought the Coalition Government should cut spending to tackle the public deficit and six in 10 said they were more willing to accept cuts in public spending because of the size of the public sector deficit.

We have welcomed measures to increase the number of adult apprenticeships by 50 per cent to 75,000 new apprentices a year. Also welcomed were the measures in moving towards a low carbon economy and the commitment to improve the infrastructure of the country. The £530 million directed from the Government and the BBC to put in place superfast broadband pilots is something small businesses were calling for. The investment in the Post Office Network is applauded.

However, the FSB believes the missing link in the Government’s deficit programme is the need to create growth – increasing the tax base, creating more businesses and incentivising small firms to grow and innovate.

A Programme for Growth is even more important given that latest FSB research shows that 10.4 per cent of firms expect to decrease employment over the next three months as business confidence in future prospects and revenue growth weakened over the July to September period. 

A Programme for Growth aimed at small firms will be very relevant given that more than 80 per cent of jobs in the EU were generated by small businesses between 2002 and 2007.

In a future Programme for Growth, we need to see such areas covered as;  an extension to the National Insurance Contributions holiday to include existing firms with up to four members of staff providing incentives when they take on three new employees - funded by scrapping the £1 billion Regional Growth Fund. We should seek a cut in VAT to five per cent in the construction sector to help create jobs and stimulate the economy, but also increase revenue to the Treasury. There should be a cut in the business support budget to £500 million and concentrate spending on genuine business support for micro businesses and a fully operational web portal.

We all know we are living in an age of austerity and that these cuts will affect us all. But our members understand that to reduce the public sector deficit, these cuts have to be made. The small business community continues to have a vital part to play in driving a credible recovery and taking on new members of staff to help tackle unemployment, so it is now vital the Government puts a Small Business Programme for Growth into action immediately.

As our research shows, small firms are at tipping point and lack the confidence to take on the 500,000 people that will be made redundant as a result of these cuts. So it is up to the Government to incentivise the small business community in promoting growth and help small firms take on new staff.

Consider the current position. Thousands of young people having been through the various levels of education and are now without employment. Thousands more on the way. Complications in statistics caused by immigration. Possibly millions to become unemployed through the emerging cutbacks, even those taking natural retirement will possibly need to work to afford growing costs. Then there are the likes of myself, fast approaching potential retirement age, but with the need to continue working just to keep a head above the growing tide of costs. However, in the micro business of which I am a Director, we are looking forward and taking a positive stance and have employed a Graduate intern from the University of Kent – doing our bit to keep an excellent young person in Kent and in employment. That is not philanthropy, that is the entrepreneurial spirit of risk taking and fighting back.

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