The Conservatives Party would scrap the government's flagship advisory service Business Link if it wins the next election, shadow small business minister Mark Prisk has claimed.
"We believe that regional Business Links are failing in their task," Prisk told the Sunday Times as he outlined the Tories' small business policy. "Many surveys show that only a small proportion of businesses use them and those that do are dissatisfied with the service they receive."
According to the MP, because much of the annual £190m spent on regional Business Link services is dedicated to directing enquiries to other experts the organisations should be scrapped and replaced by an expansion of the enterprise agencies network. Prisk said these organisations are "local", "face-to-face" and "able to adapt to what businesses in that locality need".
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