The Government's Red Tape Challenge is looking to hear from businesses and their views on regulatory burdens.

Call for evidence on intellectual property disputes

As a result of FSB lobbying, the Government will introduce a small claims track to the Patents County Court. The FSB will respond to a call for evidence seeking comments and evidence from stakeholders and intellectual property right-holders on how the existing small claims track should work in relation to resolving the lowest value IP disputes. Send comments to Marie-Claude Hemming.

Help to develop fraud guidance

Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting and guidance centre, is developing its website to include fraud prevention information for small businesses. It wants to ensure the advice and information produced for the site is practical and genuinely useful for small businesses, so a series of focus groups with small business owners will be held in Manchester, London, Birmingham and Cardiff. Find out more about how to take part.

Private waste and recycling service contracts

The policy team is keen to hear from members who feel they have been locked into unfair contracts for waste and recycling services provided by private companies. The FSB is currently calling on the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ensure small businesses are given clearer and fairer contract terms by private waste & recycling companies. Contact Francis Wood to share your experiences or send scanned copies of contracts that you feel to be unfair or unclear.

Real-Life Entrepreneurs

The FSB main campaign is looking for members who have experiences that they are willing to share about problems accessing the finance they need, managing their cash flow, completing the regulatory paperwork, submitting their tax returns, taking on new staff or exporting. Email us.