FAQ

What is business support?
What is business support simplification?
What is BSSP and why is it being carried out?
How will businesses in the North East benefit?
How long will this process take?
Who is managing the simplification process?
Is this about closing projects and if so, how many?
If levels of support are being stripped away, does that mean that jobs will be lost in the public sector?
Are businesses being consulted as part of this process?
When will businesses see the benefits?
How are we engaging with Local Authorities?
What are Business Support Agreements (BSAs) and what will they deliver?
How are we engaging with the third sector?
How are we engaging with the private sector?
What will the impact on the Business Link service be?
How are business support services going to be marketed and branded?

What is business support?

Business support is ‘support to a business, group of businesses, organisations or to people starting or considering starting businesses.’  This includes free or subsidised advice, grants, reduced-interest loans, training and help with finding workspace.  Business support helps develop entrepreneurs, businesses or organisations, while achieving broader economic, environmental or societal goals.

What is business support simplification?

Business Support Simplification is the process of reviewing, streamlining and redefining the business support available.  This process has been ongoing in the North East since 2003.  The purpose is to provide a business support landscape that meets business needs is simple to understand and access.  By simplifying and co-ordinating business support, users will benefit from more appropriate, efficient and accessible services.

What is BSSP and why is it being carried out?

The North East of England has carried out Business Support Simplification since 2003 in response to the need of businesses and individuals to understand better, what support is available in the region.  It has been recognised both regionally and nationally that the complex web of funding and initiatives available can be confusing.

In the 2006 Budget the Government announced the national Business Support Simplification Programme (BSSP) to address these issues on a national level.  The Government aim to reduce the number of business support initiatives, nationally, from over 3000 to under 100 by 2010 in order to create a streamlined, co-ordinated and quality range of services.  As part of this, 18 product areas have been identified and publicly funded business support will be aligned to these areas.

How will businesses in the North East benefit?

Businesses in the North East will benefit from having a clearer path to finding the support they need.  Through a process of review, funders, users and deliverers will work together to ensure that the region’s businesses and entrepreneurs can access business support from the public, private and third sectors that meets their needs.  By reducing the number of programmes of support, and simplifying branding and access, it will be easier for businesses to understand.

How long will this process take?

The process will take place between now and December 2010.  The Transition Management Board (TMB) will oversee the process at a national level and the North East Transition Management Board (NETMB) will oversee the process at a regional level.

Who is managing the simplification process?

BERR is leading simplification nationally, working with other public and private partners.  One NorthEast is leading business support simplification in the region.  The North East Transition Management Board (NETMB) has been established to oversee and assist with the design and delivery of business support in the region.  The Board is made up of key stakeholders who will be able to help identify business support needs and help to deliver a fit-for-purpose support landscape.

Is this about closing projects and if so, how many?

No.The primary aim of Business Support Simplification in the North East is to ensure that we deliver an easily understood and accessible business support service that meets business needs.  This may mean a change in how or what services are delivered but there will also be opportunities to develop new services that are better co-ordinated and better meet business needs.

The region has already undertaken a significant amount of work to address support simplification; we have demonstrated real successes in the simplification and rationalisation of services but are investing three times more in business support than in 2002/03.

If levels of support are being stripped away, does that mean that jobs will be lost in the public sector?

The intention of simplification is not to reduce investment but simply to make it more effective; this will mean altering the composition of services and the way in which they are delivered.

Are businesses being consulted as part of this process?

Businesses are represented on the North East Transition Management Board and there will be a range of events/sounding boards held throughout the region to ensure that businesses have a voice in the development of business support; it is recognised that it is crucial to the simplification process that the support delivered meets business need.

When will businesses see the benefits?

There are some benefits already being witnessed in the region, for example with the alignment of Business Link into a single regional body, the alignment of solutions funding through the North East England Investment Centre (NEEIC) and the amalgamation of the MAS-NEPA service.  Further benefits can be expected throughout the whole process, up to 2010, and thereafter.

How are we engaging with Local Authorities?

There are already good relationships with local authorities established across the region.  The Association of North East Councils (ANEC) provides a central point of contact with all the LAs for the North East Transition Management Board. 

However at a more individual level engagement is planned with Local Authorities to build better awareness and understanding of the business support needs of specific localities.  These discussions will result in Business Support Agreements (BSAs), which will outline how the needs of businesses and entrepreneurs in specific places will be met.

What are Business Support Agreements (BSAs) and what will they deliver?

Put simply BSAs are a way of identifying and meeting the needs of businesses and entrepreneurs in specific places.  They will build on Local Area Agreements (LAAs) and Multi Area Agreements (MAAs).  Each BSA will be specific to the area it covers and will outline how public funders and deliverers e.g. One NorthEast, LSC, Government Office, Local Authorities and Business Link North East (BLNE) will work together to deliver business support.

How are we engaging with the third sector?

Third sector organisations will be engaged with and represented in a number of ways.  The Third sector is represented on the North East Transition Management Board by Kate Welch OBE, Chief Executive of Acumen Development Trust.  Third Sector organisations will also be engaged through sounding boards throughout the process and as part of making sure that the BLNE service meets Third Sector needs.

We are also establishing Task and Finish Groups to consider business support needs in depth.  The Third Sector will be involved in this process.

How are we engaging with the private sector?

Private sector organisations will be engaged with and represented in a number of ways.  The Private sector is represented on the North East Transition Management Board by, Chair, Ian Dormer, Managing Director of Rosh Engineering, Hugh Morgan-Williams, representing the CBI, Colin Stratton, representing the FSB and Andrew Sugden, representing NECC.

We are also establishing Task and Finish Groups to consider business support needs in depth.  The Private Sector will be involved in this process and will be involved in sounding boards to ensure that the views of business drive simplification.

What will the impact on the Business Link service be?

Business Link is the primary access channel for business support.  A number of initiatives deliver Information, Diagnosis and Brokerage (IDB) in the region.  As part of simplification, we will be considering the migration of the IDB elements of projects into Business Link.  This means that Business Link will provide IDB for all businesses in the region and on a wider variety of business issues.

Skills Brokerage is already delivered by BLNE and this will continue but will be managed by One NorthEast from April 2009.  BLNE will also be developed to meet new challenges, such as increasing the knowledge of its frontline staff of a greater number of issues, including resource efficiency and globalisation, enhancing the network of referral organisations, developing innovative and more cost-effective ways of meeting business need, such as online diagnostics, and increased sharing of customer data, where permitted.

How are business support services going to be marketed and branded?

Business support simplification is designed to simplify awareness and understanding of publicly funded business support.  A new national marketing and branding framework is being developed and further details are expected from Government in July 2008.