FSB

The politicians and media circus have gone home. The tide has come in and smoothed the sand like nothing has happened.

However, G7 did happen and FSB will be joining with other key stakeholders in pressing for tangible interventions that will have been inspired by Cornwall’s investment in hosting one of the most important global meetings in history.

Ann Vandermeulen, FSB Cornwall’s development manager, said: “A lot of fantastic things are happening in Cornwall and my goodness we showed them off! Well done to everyone involved in that. The case has been made for investment and our Government can’t pretend that they haven’t got the memo, so what we need now is action.

“Please don’t tell us about bids already won, that other places have also benefitted from before us or pipeline cash and call it a ‘G7 legacy’. Let’s cut the spin and get on with the job of investing in the considerable impact that, thus far, neglected Cornwall can clearly make on the world stage. Support its people, businesses and innovation and we can do the rest. That’s the genuine ‘legacy’ that we want.”

On top of specific investment in Cornwall there are, of course, issues facing the wider business community that need fixing which are also holding Cornwall back. The SME7 collective convened by FSB (key influential business organisations, representing some 13 million businesses internationally from the G7 countries) urged leaders at G7 to act on seven specific recommendations

covering the G7 priority areas: ‘uIntroduce’ a World Trade Organisation (WTO) committee dedicated to the trading needs of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises. ‘uEnsure’ any future free trade agreements include dedicated small business chapters, so that smaller firms can make the most of preferential terms. ‘uUnlock’ the potential of small firms that sell goods and services online by removing barriers to access and digitising customs paperwork. ‘uFollow’ the five principles it has set out to ensure smaller firms can successfully make the transition to a net zero economy. ‘uIntroduce’ digital vouchers to ensure small firms can access the right tech and training. ‘uDeliver’ full fibre broadband connectivity for every small business premises. ‘uRadically’ reform business taxation to make it fairer for small businesses at the heart of community high streets.

Given the right tools and investment, small businesses will underpin global recovery and Cornwall is well set to be a world leader.

FSB will be pressing for change and promises to be kept.

Responding to new measures from market regulator Ofcom aimed at ensuring small businesses can secure fair deals when arranging energy contracts through third party intermediaries (TPIs), FSB national vice chair Martin McTague said: “It’s very encouraging to see Ofgem embracing a number of the recommendations relating to TPIs that we set out last year.

“Empowering firms to shop around effectively, giving them a meaningful cooling off period immediately after they’ve put pen to paper, increasing transparency around fees and ensuring access to dispute resolution services will all help to improve standards in the industry and protect firms from being ripped off.”

The FSB would, however, like to see further action. These measures are a necessary starting point, but they are not sufficient.

McTague went on to say: “Honest brokers provide an incredibly important service to small businesses, particularly at a time when cash reserves are depleted and the future still looks uncertain. That’s why Ofgem should follow this intervention with additional steps to regulate TPIs, thereby promoting trust in them, and fully protecting small businesses from cowboy providers.”

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FSB is partnering with Google Digital

Garage to provide free live webinar training for members. There are three webinars planned over the next few months: •July 5 Digital marketing strategy

How to use different channels for customer engagement. •August 5 Social media strategy

Time saving tools and how to reach more customers.

•September 7 Get started with analytics

Understanding your audience & maximising engagement.

Visit fsb.org.uk/event-calendar.html for more information.