Forum helps party leaders brush up on small business issues ahead of tonight's TV debate

29 April 2010

The Forum of Private Business has sent all would-be MPs a special guide outlining key facts and figures regarding small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

At a glance, the Small Business Fact File is designed to provide politicians with everything they need to know about SMEs.

The easy-to-read, two-page document has been sent to all serving MPs and prospective parliamentary candidates ahead of the general election. The Forum has put the guide together in an effort to help them better understand the needs of small firms in their constituencies.

The Fact File has also been sent to party leaders, meaning Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg will all have received a copy. As a result, the three men vying for the keys to Number 10 have no excuse for not being clued up on small business-related issues during tonight’s televised debate, which will focus on the economy.

The Small Business Fact File lists some striking statistics which show the huge contribution SMEs make to UK Plc. A startling 99.9% of businesses in Britain are classed as SMEs and smaller firms provide almost 60% of jobs in the private sector.

The Fact File highlights research into the problems faced by small firms, such as red tape, late payment and access to finance. It also includes a glossary of small business-related acronyms to help the next generation of MPs to know their PPC (Prompt Payment Code) from their APPSBG (All-Party Parliamentary Small Business Group).

Commenting on the Fact File, Forum of Private Business Campaigns Coordinator Jane Bennett said: “We hope that by getting this concise, easy-to-follow guide out to the party leaders and everyone else standing for election, we’ll help them to better understand the problems facing Britain’s 4.7 million smaller businesses.

“The Small Business Fact File comes in a handy two-page format, so politicians can carry it with them when meeting constituents, asking questions in the Commons - or discussing the economy in front of a TV audience of millions!”

The Forum lobbies MPs and policymakers on its members’ behalf. The service forms part of the Forum’s ‘Communications Director’ solution – one of eight business solutions, from HR and finance to development, recently introduced by the Forum to assist with every aspect of running a small or medium-sized business.

Notes:

A copy of the Small Business Fact File is available to download here: http://www.fpb.org/FactFile