companies house made easy

staff parking "stealth tax"

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has spoken out against a proposed Workplace Parking Levy (WPL) which will charge businesses for providing staff parking spaces.

one in one out with red tape

The Business Secretary, Vince Cable has announced plans to implement a 'one in, one out' system for regulation, to ensure that small businesses aren't burdened with higher costs for compliance.

an end to fixed retirement age

The government plans to scrap the fixed retirement age of 65 from October 2011.

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Small businesses are getting access to more finance from their banks, according to the British Bankers' Association (BBA).

In April, small business lending rose by £287 million including overdrafts, with 48,000 new SMEs accessing finance.

"The High Street banks' support for the small business sector continues to rise," said David Dooks, statistics director for the BBA.

There is still some concern that there is still not enough money getting to small businesses. Paul Tucker from the Bank of England stated that it would be hard to assess the level of funding availability to SMEs until the end of the year.