“If we do not act now, jobs will be lost, our country will become poorer and we will find it difficult to afford the public services we all want. If we do not wake up to the world around us, our standard of living will fall, not rise. We cannot go on like this.”
Dr Vince Cable. Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills
George Osborne MP, Chancellor of the Exchequer (2011) [Read more…]

“The existing variety of approaches, policies, systems and business models across and within the nine regions, when the issues facing small business and the questions that need to be answered are virtually identical, is absurd. As a general rule Government should not provide business advice.”
The Richard Report. Submission to Shadow Cabinet (2008) [Read more…]

“I want to draw attention to the failure of the policies that, in the Government’s words, are supposed to be providing ‘real help now’ to families and businesses struggling with the recession. That slogan is a cruel joke to the thousands of people who have lost their jobs while this Government dither and delay.”
George Osborne MP, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (2009) [Read more…]

“I think the Regional Development Agencies are far better placed than the Small Business Service to provide front line services. I took the view not just that we need to simplify the number of things that we offer people (in business); I would also like to reduce the number of places that you get them. ”
Alistair Darling. Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (2006) [Read more…]

“Before my time it was fairly adversarial. There really was quite a sense of what do you need the Small Business Service for, we can do that, from the Regional Development Agencies. And we were looking at them as a group that was attempting to take over our turf. So it was all about ‘tanks on the lawn’ and all that.”
Martin Wyn Griffiths, CEO of the Small Business Service (2004) [Read more…]