Shadow Business Minister Mark Prisk has announced that if his party get into power at the general election in May, one of his first acts will be to scrap Business Link.
In a Times article by Rachel Bridge, Prisk sets out some key proposals for his election campaign, including axing the £190m advisory service.
“We believe that regional Business Links are failing in their task,” he said.
“Many surveys show that only a small proportion of businesses use them and those that do are dissatisfied with the service they receive.”
Prisk maintains that to be most effective, government needs to stop getting involved in the business support system.
“Our job in government - if we are elected - will be to create the right environment for small businesses to start and grow, not for us to tinker and meddle,” said Prisk.
“What businesses need is clarity and certainty so they can get on and create the wealth and the jobs. Our job will be to support them but in a way that will free them to do what they do best.
Replacing Business Link, Prisk aims to establish a wider network of enterprise agencies and would offer to match current funding for the first three years to support them.
“They are local and they are face-to-face, and they are able to adapt to what businesses in that locality need,” he said.
Click here to read the article in full on the Times Online website.