Tories turn to LinkedIn for business consultation

Posted by Dan Martin in Business trends on Mon, 08/02/2010 - 14:20
  • LinkedIn is a online network for business professionals
  • Ken Clarke is using it to consult business owners and other experts
  • The Tories are looking into reviving the Enterprise Allowance Scheme
  • The scheme gave the unemployed £40 a week to start a new business
  • Using social networks is becoming increasingly popular with politicians

Shadow business secretary Ken Clarke is using online social network LinkedIn to gather views from business owners about re-introducing a scheme which helpd the unemployed set up businesses.

Introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the 1980s, the Enterprise Allowance Scheme (ELS) provided £40 a week to people who wanted to get off the dole and start a their own company. Among those who used it were Julian Dunkerton, founder of the Superdry fashion label and Alan McGee, who set up Creation Records.

The Conservatives are currently exploring a revival of the initiative and Clarke is using LinkedIn to gather feedback from the business community.

At the time of writing his post on the network had received 59 responses.

Among those who have commented is Simon Carrier, chief designer at SPC Design. He said: "I did set a small business in the early 80s under the Enterprise Allowance Scheme.

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