Dragon proposes radical business support reform
The government's business support regime is 'out of control' and should be replaced by a single website which allows company owners to rate the level of service received, serial entrepreneur Doug Richard has recommended.
In a radical report, commissioned by the Conservative Party, the former Dragons' Den panellist said the current support system is "overly complex, ineffective
and undirected".
A total of 2,000 public bodies are spending £2.5bn on running 3,000 support schemes, he claimed, with a third of the money used to simply tell companies where to find advice.
Richard, head of the Tories' Small Business Task Force, called for a single national web-based business information system to replace organisations like Business Link.
The site would allow users to rate suppliers in a style like that used on auction service eBay which would replace "unaccountable and intermittent accreditation by government", the entrepreneur added.
Whitehall departments, agencies and regulators would also be legally obliged to provide all relevant information for publication on the website and private sector firms would bid for support contracts.
In addition, Richard recommended the overhaul of enterprise education in schools and the advertising of all public sector contracts on the internet.
"The current bureaucratic system is confusing, out of control and wastes millions of pounds," said Richard. "It cannot be an efficient use of funds for two thousand organisations to administer three thousand schemes.
"Our recommendations would create a single, web-based business information system and an open market for expert advice, in which the needs of the customer – business – would come first.
"These recommendations would enable the UK to once again, become one of the best places in the world to do business."
Dan Martin, editor of BusinessZone.co.uk, said: "Doug Richard's report is a hugely welcome addition to the debate over small business support services.
"He makes some radical proposals, many of which if implemented would benefit the UK's millions of entrepreneurs who for too long have had to cope with disjointed, inconsistent and confusing levels of guidance which the government has so far done little to address."
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BusinessZONE - 13-May-2008
Categories: News
Story read: 1591
