Published at 15:49, Wednesday, 12 January 2011

A LEADING North West business group is calling on the Prime Minister David Cameron to make enterprise his top priority for 2011.

Private Sector Partners speaks for more than 140,000 businesses. Its leader Len Collinson said the UK’s best chance of strong recovery was to encourage entrepreneurs and business growth.

“We can be in no doubt that it is the private sector – and in particular small firms – which will be taking the dual strain of driving the UK out of recession and of the public sector cuts,” he said.

“So the facts are crystal clear, Cameron and Osborne must find the policies to fire the furnace of enterprise. Businesses underpin our ability as families, communities and as a nation to function. It is that fundamental. Without thriving businesses, everything else suffers – not so much a domino effect as a motorway pile up: job and wealth creation, skills training for young people, tax raising and therefore the public services, charity donations, media advertising and so on. So Mr Cameron really has no choice, he and his team have to make enterprise their prime priority for 2011.”

Mr Collinson urged Mr Cameron to ‘hurl Government energy’ into propelling the value of enterprise to the country.

“We hear a lot about the Big Society but what about business? This matters a great deal more. Businesses, as the country’s engine room, do not get the recognition they need and deserve. That is one of the UK’s biggest barriers to growth. We do not celebrate, recognise and encourage enterprise enough. We therefore trail behind countries like Germany and the United States where enterprise is fundamental to the national outlook.

“There needs to be a change of mentality so our schools and universities understand and promote business better. Moreover, the national media should follow the regional media and devote more pages to enterprise. Television is a most powerful influence, yet it is woeful at promoting private enterprise. Where are the prime time programmes which will inspire new businesses and inform and educate existing ones?”

Mr Collinson said wise and simple moves that would help smaller firms include fulfilling the promises on slashing back on red tape and changing employment law.

“The Government should not be cowed by the prospect of cutting corporate taxes,” he said. “If they get the mix right, reducing the burden of tax will enable businesses to grow, ultimately generating more jobs, more tax and longer-term sustainable growth. Previous Governments have overtaxed and over-regulated companies and throttled growth at a time of economic prosperity. This outstandingly bad judgement left the economy brittle when the credit crunch hit in 2007 and we are now struggling to weather the storm. We must learn from this and focus on finding soundly-based ways of growing businesses, not constantly tripping them up.”

Published by http://www.whitehavennews.co.uk