Chancellor needs to back local business support agencies to drive economic recovery, says National Enterprise Network
The membership organisation representing the Enterprise Agencies and other Business Support Bodies up and down the country is calling on the Chancellor to provide material funding to enable quality business advice and support to be made available to both new business start-ups and small businesses that are emerging from the pandemic.
As local economies look to manage their recoveries and create employment for those who have already lost jobs, and those who are currently furloughed but find themselves unemployed when the current job support schemes are withdrawn, there will be a critical need to support many individuals into self-employment. Additionally, there will be a demand for advice from the small businesses who have survived the downturn.
The Enterprise Agencies, and other support organisations are well placed to deliver advice, support and guidance within their regional infrastructures, but need the funding to do so at scale.
Chair of the National Enterprise Network, Alex Till commented, “The business support organisations in the UK are well established and experienced in delivering business programmes to pre starts, new start-ups and recently established businesses. They are at the centre of their local business networks, and understand both the local business dynamics, and the local opportunities for enterprise development. To deliver effectively, and help drive the economic recovery, financial support is required by them, particularly in the current post Brexit era, with European funding no longer available.
We strongly urge the Chancellor to acknowledge the value of the local business support networks and make the necessary budget allocations to them. Failure to do so would represent a huge, and important, lost opportunity”