Entrepreneurs 'should pay for business advice'

Company owners should have to pay for business guidance which would encourage advisors to offer the best possible value, it has been claimed.

As the government continues to consult on a shake-up to the way business support is delivered in England, UK Business Advisors (UKBA) said the role of the government should not be to deliver the support but to set up an accreditation framework for advisors with "real, hands on" business experience.

"UKBA believes that the MD of an SME is best equipped to decide what is best for their business," the organisation said in a statement. "If an MD truly values the help and advice then they should be prepared to pay some contribution to it. 

"This principle puts pressure on the advisor to provide high quality advice that really helps the businesses. If the advisor knows that they will only get paid if they add value, the advice dramatically improves."

UKBA, which represents around 80 independent business advisors, suggested that the government should help by offering a subsidy of 25% to encourage business support, advice and training.

The Department for Business is currently working on a shake-up to business support in England. It intends to scrap Regional Development Agencies and the regional elements of Business Link and replace them with Local Enterprise Partnerships run jointly by public and private sector organisations. It is believed that the national Business Link website will remain in place with the back-up of a call centre.