Ministers have denied claims that the government has given its official backing to a website which would rival its flagship Business Link online portal.
According to a report published by The Telegraph on 9 August, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (DBERR), which funds the Business Link network, has joined corporate giants Vodafone and Microsoft in backing new business advice website Smarta.com.
But, in a statement given to BusinessZone.co.uk, Business Link said that no support has been given.
The Telegraph article claimed that although the website, due to officially launch in November, has been set up to address some of the failings in the government's network of SME advice centres, it has the official support of Business Link.
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