Partner Article

Northern business owners to push on Parliament

A group of 90 northern entrepreneurs from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) will take the Government to task as they visit Parliament next week.

The “Northern Real Life Entrepreneurs” want to push the Government to act on its promises to remove barriers to growth for small business.

As part of the FSB’s Real Life Entrepreneurs Campaign, the delegates will visit the Houses of Parliament to speak with over 40 MPs on issues that small business owners face.

North Tyneside MP Mary Glindon will host a reception, which will be addressed by Shadow Small Business Minister, Toby Perkins MP and the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Lady Wilcox, who will outline steps that can be taken to improve confidence.

Her talk will span six key areas, including: increasing the routes to finance by ensuring implementation of the Independent Commission on Banking’s recommendations; improving cash-flow, and addressing late payment; adopting a new approach to regulation, and what the Government must do to reduce the burden at local, national and EU levels; reducing and simplifying business taxes; incentivising job creation; and opening up export markets, particularly with the view to create a single European contract law.

Ted Salmon, FSB North East Regional Chairman, said: “We are calling on all MPs to listen to the Real-Life Entrepreneurs that have told us their problems and are now visiting London to express them.

“We urge the Government to make the changes required to address the needs of these grass roots businesses that contribute over a third of the turnover of the economy and 50% of the jobs to the Northern economy. Our event will not only help the Real Life Entrepreneurs to share the key issues they face but also in the long run demonstrate to Government what is needed to grow their businesses further.

“We are also confident that this lobbying will help others take the plunge and set up business across Northern England.”

The FSB intends the visit to become an annual fixture for Northern businesspeople.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .