Small companies must be given the ear of the prime minister as well as industry heavyweights, a business lobby group has urged.
The call comes after Gordon Brown’s had his first meeting with the new Business Council, which includes high-profile business representatives such as Sir Alan Sugar, Sir Richard Branson and Tesco boss Sir Terry Leahy.
The Forum of Private Business (FPB) is concerned with the lack of representatives from the small business world on the newly formed council.
The organisation said the Small Business Forum, which currently sits within the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR), ‘has nowhere near the same influence or access to decision-makers as the council’.
FPB campaign’s manager, Matt Hardman, said:
“The argument that celebrities such as Sir Alan Sugar and Sir Richard Branson are still in touch with the interests of small business owners will not satisfy those who are struggling to build up their businesses now.”
“[Small firms] clearly feel that their needs and opinions are being ignored by the government in favour of those of big business.”
Graham Bower-Wood has run a construction company in Guilford for the past 19 years. He said:
“If we had a voice, then at least our opinions on issues such as capital gains tax would be heard, and I would like to think we could make a difference.”
“However, it has always been the case that smaller businesses don't seem to have the power and back-up from the government that big business enjoys.”
© Crimson Business Ltd. 2007
