The National Enterprise Network (NEN) recently launched its Manifesto for Change in Enterprise Support, urging government to provide business support urgently to enable the UK to hit future growth and net zero targets.

The Manifesto, launched at the organisation’s annual conference for business leaders and influencers across the country, was underpinned by NEN’s 2023/4 Business Barometer report compiled by White Label, which demonstrated 99% of the country’s small businesses needed support now if they are to generate growth and hit net zero targets.

Delegates at the conference, held at Barclays Canary Wharf HQ on Friday November 25th, called on the government to prioritise business support and resolve the current fragmentation and confusion around funding.

A debate by senior industry figures called for the change, backing the enterprise agencies in the room who work on the ground in their local areas, often on a 1:1 basis to provide much-needed business advice, funding and low cost accommodation for the country’s start-ups, micro and small businesses.

Liz Barclay, Small Business Commissioner emphasised the importance of the provision being better targeted, and easier to access.

“We talk about SMEs as group, but that covers a massive range of business types and tends to focus on the medium sized businesses. We need to break it down, look at the needs of sole traders, micro traders, small traders and scale-ups. We need to know what businesses actually need and how they perceive themselves so we talk to them in the right language.

NEN released the results of its Business Barometer survey at the conference showing almost 100% of the country’s key business growth drivers are calling on the government to prioritise business support.

• More than half (52%) said they were expecting growth in the coming year,
  • Three quarters (76%) were worried about rising costs and a similar number expected to need funding
  • Almost all of them (99%) said they needed business support NOW

The full survey results are available here: https://nationalenterprisenetwork.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/NEN-Business-Barometer-Report.pdf