This week saw the first meeting of the Small Business Forum, which involves informal discussions between the government and representatives of the small business community.

Members of the Forum include small business owners as well as members of SME representative groups such as the Federation of Small Businesses and the British Chambers of Commerce.

The meeting was chaired by Margaret Hodge, Minister for Industry and the Regions. She stated that "the Government has always prided itself in its open dialogue with the business community and the Small Business Forum will be a new opportunity for me to regularly meet ten small business owners and each of the UK's main business membership bodies in an open and frank round table meeting".

The forum will be an opportunity for small businesses to exchange their views and opinions on government policies which could affect the UK's 4.3 million SMEs. It also gives the government an opportunity to discuss ideas about possible policies for the future.