Business Link network to be axed

THE Business Link network, which delivers free, impartial advice to firms, will be phased out, the Government has said.

Business and enterprise minister Mark Prisk revelealed that Business Links will be axed along with Regional Development Agencies.

He told the Real Business publication: “The regional Business Links have spent too much time signposting and not enough time actually advising.

“We’re going to wind down the Regional Development Agencies, and as part of those, we’ll be winding down the regional Business Link contracts.”

In this region, Preston-based Business Link North West has around 330 field-based  staff and receives around £18m from the North West Development Agency to deliver support and free advice.

To replace the current set-up Mr Prisk said the Government was proposing a two-pronged approach, led by a state-funded online service and the private sector.

He said more services would be delivered online and there would also be a call centre-style facility, while better use would be made of private sector providers such as the chamber of commerce network.

“The vast majority of private businesses don’t use public services [for advice]. We need a 21st century approach to business support,” the minister said.

The use of private sector advisers was a better fit with the Government’s new system of Local Enterprise Partnerships, he added.

The joint public-private sector LEPs are set to replace the RDA network and further details on their set-up will be released in a White Paper later in the summer.

Mr Prisk said the idea that the Government should replicate the provision of a business advisory network was “nonsense” as well as wasteful and time-consuming.