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Survey calls for businesses to have their say in cutting through red tape

Partners delivering a programme designed to help businesses cut through legislative and regulatory red tape are being invited to help shape support they need to grow their business.

Better Business for All (BBFA) is being delivered in partnership by the Department for International Trade, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), North East Fire and Rescue Services, local authority regulatory services and the North East and Tees Valley Local Enterprise Partnerships.

Over 55 per cent of small business owners say their company’s growth is being held back by the amount of time they have to dedicate to business administration and compliance, according to research from the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB).

The programme has been set up to break down these barriers by providing support to improve understanding of administration and compliance to ensure businesses meet the required regulatory standards.

The partners are asking businesses across the North East and Tees Valley to complete a short survey to help them improve the support on offer – see the link here, closing date 28th February 2016

Michael McMeekin from FSB said: “It’s clear from the research that businesses are spending more time than they really need to ensure they meet the necessary regulatory standards. We’ve found that it’s a common misconception that this is difficult or time-consuming process to do, when there is plenty of help on hand to take advantage of.”

Regulators from local authorities and fire and rescue services visit over 30,000 businesses per year, and are often the first point of contact for new companies, with many struggling to find out who to discuss their plans with and what permissions they actually need.

Ed Foster, Service Manager for Environment and Public Protection at Newcastle City Council and Secretary of the Better Business for All North East continued: “BBFA is a programme dedicated to making sure businesses aren’t held back by compliance. The aim is to give all businesses a contact where they can access accurate advice on what’s needed to establish and grow a business. We invest in the training and expertise of our staff so they can help businesses, and hopefully save them time and money, improve their competitiveness and helping them to grow.”

The survey will inform a training session for over 16 North East regulators, helping them better understand business need and enabling them to deliver the right support.

Environmental Health Officers in Durham gave Sandra Stephenson from Blink Cosmetic Solutions, initial set-up advice for her first premises in February 2014. Since opening, Sandra has since outgrown her premises and has registered two further premises, one in Chester-le-Street and one in Ferryhill.

Sandra said, “The advice that Environmental Health officers have given me over the years has been invaluable, especially when I first started the business. It’s helped me to grow my company safely.”

Click here to complete the survey.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by North East LEP .