Policy Achievements FSB

The Federation of Small Business (FSB) is the UK's leading lobby organisation representing the self-employed and owners of small businesses. Founded in 1974, it now has over 213,000 members across all industries, trades and services. It is a non-party political lobby group that exists to promote and protect the interests of all those who own and manage their own business.

The FSB has over the last couple of years lobbied and achieved many policy changes and initiatives that benefit small businesses:

Tolls on Forth and Tay Bridges Abolished

After a lobbying victory for the FSB in Scotland was announced in December 2007, the Abolition of Bridge Tolls (Scotland) Act 2008 came into force and tolls were finally removed from all bridges in Scotland. Scotland now has no tolls on any of its bridges.

Postponing fuel duty increases

The FSB, lobbying as part of a business and motoring group, secured a postponement of the proposed two pence per litre increase in fuel duty on April 1, 2008.

Small Business Bonus introduced in Scotland

Following intensive lobbying by the FSB in Scotland, the Scottish Government introduced the Small Business Bonus, which will see around £135million cut from 150,000 small firms' business rates – with many paying nothing at all when the scheme comes into full effect in April 2009. The FSB is now concentrating on getting this assistance to all members who are entitled to it.

Overturning red tape on young workers

The FSB forced the Government to overturn plans to impose burdensome new checks and registration requirements for employees who have responsibility for under-16s in the work place. Not only would this have affected work experience placements, but also any business where an under 16 was doing a Saturday job or occasional work.

Calling for fair play on fuel

The FSB was at the forefront of the campaign against the price of fuel and demanding action on prices at the petrol pumps. Working with other organisations as part of the ‘Fuel Duty Alliance' the FSB was successful in persuading Government to drop the fuel duty rise planned for October 2008. A Scottish MP supported the FSB by launching a bid at Westminster to amend the Finance Bill and introduce the FSB's Fuel Duty adjuster mechanism.

FSB wins pay rise for apprentices

The FSB called for a pay rise for apprentices – the Government then implemented this by putting in place a £10 a week rise for all apprentices.

Making European money available to small businesses

The FSB wrote to the Chancellor proposing methods of purchasing and distributing European Investment Bank finance. This has been taken on board by many Regional Development Agencies and one local authority, as well as the banks. 

Government cracks down on late payments

Following pressure from the FSB, the Government announced all departments would pay suppliers in 10 days and then launched a new Code of Practice to set out clear policy on the payment of business. Developed with the Institute of Credit Management, the code is backed by the FSB and other business organisations.

Getting help for small businesses   

Following extensive lobbying by the FSB in Wales, the Assembly Government has allocated more than £290 million to fund the Flexible Support for Business (FS4B) programme, which provides a more simplified system for business to get the financial assistance they need in the format they need it.

Winning funding on long-term issue of training

The FSB gave oral evidence to the Innovation, Universities and Skills Select Committee and met with Lord Young on the issue of Apprenticeships. The Government designated £350 million of funding to small and medium enterprises for training through Train to Gain – with assurances that more funding will be provided to informal, bite-sized, on the job training, which the FSB has been lobbying on for many years.

Saving energy for small businesses

Following FSB lobbying, energy companies will now be placed under much greater scrutiny from OFGEM, the UK's gas and electricity regulator, to ensure they handle complaints better. Small businesses will also have access to a new independent redress scheme (taking the form of an ombudsman) with the power to resolve consumer complaints and, where necessary, make sure the problem is put right or award compensation.

The FSB achieves £1 billion victory

The FSB got the £1 billion fund for small business loans it had called for in a high-profile nationwide campaign, when the Chancellor gave his Pre Budget Report, which also introduced empty property rate relief for one year and included up to £7 billion of financial support for small firms.

Freezing Corporation Tax

The FSB campaigned for the 21p tax to be frozen, and for the Government not to pursue a 1p rise to 22p. The Chancellor announced the freeze in his Pre Budget Report.

Post Office Ltd gets Post Office Card Account

The FSB celebrated when James Purnell MP, Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, announced that the Post Office Card Account was awarded exclusively to Post Office Limited, following an end to the tendering process. This is a major step in the right direction to make the Post Office network viable and prevent future closures.

The Government agrees to make public procurement easier

The FSB played an important role in informing the Government's Glover Committee on how to make it easier for small businesses to land lucrative public procurement contracts. The Glover report took on many of the FSB's suggestions and the Government has confirmed that all 12 recommendations on improving access for small firms will be put in place. The launch in July of Public Contracts Scotland, a free Scottish procurement portal, was one of the key requests in the FSB's 2007 Scottish Election Manifesto.

Visit Scotland victory

The FSB in Scotland won a victory on the tourism front, with the announcement that the Scottish tourism website, VisitScotland.com, is to be brought back into public ownership. This addresses many of the FSB's long-standing concerns and comes after consistent FSB lobbying on the operation of the website in particular and about how small operators in this vital industry are supported generally.  Scottish Ministers have also announced that a task group is to look into skills and training issues, such as the establishment of a ‘hotel school'. 

FSB wins agreement to review attitude to theft from shops

The FSB won agreement from Minister of Justice Jack Straw to revise the guidance for police about handing out Fixed Penalty Notices for theft from shops. The FSB argued that these notices should not be used for repeat offenders and should be applied more consistently. The FSB worked with Anne McIntosh MP to table questions in the Commons to outline the need for this guidance to be reviewed and evaluated in the future.

The Government backs the FSB's Fit Note initiative

After five years of intense lobbying, the Government finally backed a pioneering FSB initiative to help employers and employees make decisions about health and work. Getting backing for the Fit Note – which will allow employers and employees to decide when they are well enough to come back to work after an absence on sick leave – is a real milestone for the FSB.

Holding off unfair pensions policies

Following FSB pressure to change the Pension Bill, rather than wait for the 2016 review, the Pension Bill was amended to remove 2.72million small firm owners who are the sole employee of their business and would have been swept into having to take on the burden of automatic enrolment.

FSB wins a regulation policy victory

After many years of lobbying, the FSB welcomed the Better Regulation Executive's announcement that from the beginning of the next Parliamentary session there will be requirements for departments to consider if and why specific legislation should apply to small businesses – an important step in the regulation of small businesses and is a positive response.

Overturning a burdensome dispute legal framework

FSB lobbying led to the burdensome legal framework which regulates how businesses deal with disputes being finally overturned in Parliament.

Achievement:

Banks agree for accounts to be switched more quickly

The FSB called on the banks to make switching between banks easier and faster at one of the meetings of the Small Business Banking Forum, of which the FSB is a member. As a direct result of FSB lobbying, the banks agreed to allow clients to switch accounts from one bank to another within five days.

Congestion charge NO! vote in Manchester

The FSB and its North West Area Policy Unit was a leading voice in the victorious ‘No!' campaign against the referendum on the proposed, and hotly contested, congestion charge in Manchester.

A new ‘Talent Map' portal is put in place

The FSB was one of the five creators of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills ‘Talent Map', an online portal for employers to use if they want to invest in skills within their workplace. The FSB provided the small business input and the ‘Talent Map' received ministerial agreement. 

Shielding small businesses from a language burden

Because of pressure from the FSB in Wales, legislation on the Welsh language has been delayed, making sure small businesses are not subject to the same laws on using Welsh as big public sector bodies. The proposed legislation would put Welsh and English on an equal footing and create a commissioner to oversee the law.
 

Keep Trade Local: Uniting shopkeepers, businesses and communities through the year

The FSB launched its national Keep Trade Local campaign in 2008 – a campaign to save our shops and preserve our high streets and communities in the face of 2,000 local shops being forced to close each year.

The campaign started with a mass-lobby of Parliament in March 2008 and was followed up by a letter-writing campaign to Members of Parliament to explain the FSB's policies. 

After that, the FSB regions sent out the Keep Trade Local Manifesto to local authorities and governing bodies. The campaign consisted of six policy issues: planning; parking charges; business rates; crime prevention; post office closures and public procurement.  
 

Key achievements KTL:

50,000 people signed up to the FSB petition calling on the Prime Minister to ensure the future of small businesses.

The Keep Trade Local campaign saw a travelling photo exhibition, with pictures of vibrant shops across the country, visiting seven towns in England and six areas of London.

The campaign received an enormous amount of media coverage – including more than 150 articles in regional press during the first six months.

More than 50 MPs signed an Early Day Motion calling on Members of Parliament to buy their Christmas Dinner locally.