FSB chat to Danny Alexander at Lib Dem Party Conference

Party Conference season gets underway
Party conference season kicks off with the Lib Dems in Brighton this weekend. On Sunday, the FSB and New Statesman will be holding an ‘in conversation’ event with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander. Both John Walker and Mike Cherry will speak at external events and we will launch our employment report: Back to work: the role of small businesses in employment and enterprise. To keep up-to-date with conference news, follow us on Twitter @fsb_hq, on our Facebook page and via the website.

Growth and confidence remain elusive for small firms
Challenging domestic conditions, access to finance and weak consumer demand are taking their toll on the optimism of small firms according to the latest data from the ‘Voice of Small Business’ Index, which shows confidence fell by 5.8 points. Read the press release, the report and view the infographic. Read coverage on Sky News, Huffington Post and in the Daily Telegraph and watch Policy Chairman, Mike Cherry on the BBC.

FSB has ‘serious concerns’ about the IRSA compensation scheme
We have written a letter to the Chancellor raising serious concerns about the Financial Services Authority's compensation scheme for mis-sold loans. Read the press release, and coverage in the Financial Times, Press Association, Daily Telegraph, MSN, Evening Standard, Daily Mail. Find out why it’s a problem and use our guide if you think you've been affected.

Education reform welcomed
Read John Walker’s comments to the Daily Mirror on Government plans to reform the education system.

What can the Chancellor do to boost growth?
Watch Policy Chairman, Mike Cherry tell the Daily Politics Show what the Chancellor must do to help businesses grow (21 mins).

Wage incentives to employ 18-24 year olds
Find out more about the £2,775 wage incentive that’s available through the Youth Contract when taking on a young person in England, Scotland and Wales.

Strengthened role for the RPC
Ministers have asked the Regulatory Policy Committee to take on a wider role to investigate and to report publicly on regulatory barriers preventing innovative businesses from growing and reaching their full potential. Find out more. 

FSB calls for superfast broadband across the countryside as online sales plummet
Online sales figures plummeted to its lowest level for five years. With many small firms looking to grow online, but suffering from unreliable and slow broadband, the FSB has called for 98 per cent of the countryside to have superfast broadband. Read the comment and report.

Facebook application to promote Real-Life Entrepreneurs

Add your business to the Real-Life Entrepreneurs application on the FSB’s Facebook Page. You can upload photos and videos and share business tips to promote your business. You can also share the post and get friends to vote to become a featured business.