Here is this week’s news round-up for home business, micro business, sole-traders, freelancers, self-employed and any one who is interested in small business news from the United Kingdom and Ireland:
- How lifestyle businesses are beating the recession: The recession has hit small businesses hard, but there are encouraging signs that many firms are bucking the trend by continuing to grow
- Small firms left high and dry says Mandy: Lord Mandelson will tonight admit that small businesses are being left ‘high and dry’ by banks failing to lend – but he offers no solutions to help them
- Financial Mail Extra: Redundancy advice for small businesses: Small business owners rarely have large human resources departments to carry out the grim task of making staff redundant for them<
- Accountants Holden Associates Launch Free Website For Each Client To Help Small Business In The UK: Today we are pleased to announce FREE websites for all our small business, contractors & home business clients.
- Small business: What lies ahead in 2009? The past year has been tough for small businesses, but what lies ahead? We asked key business groups for their predictions and wishlists for 2009
- EU to cut red tape stalling small business: The European Commission is abolishing accounting rules which currently oblige “micro enterprises” – those with fewer than 10 staff and turnover below €1m a year – to submit audit reports to national authorities.
- Over 100 MPs back FSB automatic rate relief bill:Support is growing for a Private Members Bill pioneered by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) with over 100 MPs signing an Early Day Motion calling for rate relief to be made automatic for eligible firms.
- Government must take action to prevent more Post Office closures: Small businesses cannot afford any further Post Office closures, the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) warned, ahead of a Government announcement on the future of Royal Mail on Thursday (February 26).
- Government ‘cap’ on guarantees restricting bank lending to small firms, says business lobby group: Amid revelations that small businesses hit by the recession still cannot access sufficient finance from the UK’s banks, the Forum of Private Business (FPB) has learned that the Government has imposed a ‘cap’ on its much-publicised Enterprise Finance Guarantee (EFG). The FPB is concerned that this restriction means potential government losses from the scheme are limited to a mere 10% – a fraction of the 75% guarantee for each loan pledged under the EFG. This is likely to be the major reason behind the banks’ continued bracketing of many small businesses as ‘high risk’ propositions.
As always this list is not exhaustive, but I hope it will give you a little overview. — ST.
