March to Westminster
Real Life Entrepreneurs from Northern England, all members of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), came together in September to push the Government to act on its promise to remove barriers to promote growth for small business owners.
Ninety Real Life Entrepreneurs, including Tim Hutchinson of RPS Ltd, travelled to Westminster to attend a reception hosted by North Tyneside MP Mary Glindon. Shadow Small Business Minister, Toby Perkins MP and Matthew Hancock MP (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State – Business, Innovation and Kills) addressed the FSB visitors with an outline of the Government’s intentions to improve the confidence of small business owners. Actions included improving access to finance, small firms getting better access to procurement opportunities and reducing the burdens of red tape.
Helping the Northern UK economy
Likely to become an annual mission, the visit intends to allow Northern UK businessmen and women to communicate the issues and barriers they face to grow the economy, and ultimately find a solution.
FSB Regional Chairman, Ted Salmon, commented: “We called on the MPs to listen to the Real Life Entrepreneurs that have told us their problems and expect to see some action taken. We continue to urge the Government to make the changes required to address the needs of these grass roots businesses that contribute to over a third of the turnover of the economy and 50% of the jobs to the Northern economy.”
It’s a step in the right direction to help an economy that has suffered in recent years. Mr. Salmon concluded, “Our event is only the beginning of our work on making sure our members are listened to.”
