Weekly Brief

Week 21 of 2009      Friday 29 May 2009

In this week's issue: Green business; Fit notes; Elections; Campaign award; Post offices; Rural shows; Giving evidence

Sunday Times Green list
The FSB was pleased to note that a small firm topped the Sunday Times' Best Green Companies list. The high ranking and dominance of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across all the categories shows that contrary to public perception, SMEs are keen to go green.

Fit notes
The FSB welcomed the announcement that fit notes will be handed out from next year, something the FSB has been campaigning on for years. Instead of GPs giving employees a sick note and signing them off work, they will decide what jobs the employee can perform and what they can do to get them back to work.  Read the response in the Daily Mail.

European elections
FSB Scotland held a European Elections Hustings event in Glasgow this week with top candidates for the vote next week including three current MEPs Alyn Smith, Struan Stevenson and Catherine Stihler, candidate George Lyon and representatives from UKIP and the Green party.

Campaign Award
The FSB has been nominated for the Public Affairs News ‘Private Sector Campaign of the Year' award. It shortlists our policy and press work calling for a loan scheme for struggling small businesses, which eventually took the form of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee in January. If you work in public affairs you can vote for us.

Post Offices
FSB's National Chairman, John Wright welcomed the fact that over 200 MPs have signed an early day motion calling for a Post Bank in the Retail Newsagent and the Publican this week.

Rural shows
The FSB is making the voices of rural businesses heard in a tour of County Shows across the country throughout the summer. Kicking off this week in Suffolk, the FSB is campaigning for a top up to the rural rate relief funding. If you would like to know more about the FSB's presence at the County Shows, please contact your regional organiser: www.fsb.org.uk/regions. 

Giving evidence
In the coming weeks, the FSB will be giving evidence to two high profile investigations. The first will be on the workings of the Enterprise Finance Guarantee undertaken by the Business and Enterprise Select Committee. The second will see the FSB giving evidence on the Equalities Bill before the House of Commons Scrutiny Committee.

Have a good weekend,

Prue Watson