STORY
The Business and Trade Committee has called on the Government to reconsider what it described as an inadequate response to recommendations for supporting Britain’s small businesses. MPs said Ministers had fully accepted only six of the committee’s 36 proposals and had relied too heavily on existing schemes.
The committee argued that small companies were facing the cumulative effect of tax, employment, regulatory and energy policies developed without sufficient consideration of their combined impact. It called for a more coherent cross-Government approach to business growth and productivity.
The criticism was published ahead of an appearance by Business and Trade Secretary Peter Kyle before the committee. MPs said small and medium-sized enterprises required clearer accountability, improved access to finance and a strategy capable of addressing the pressures reported during their inquiry.