We're the UK's leading small business campaigner 

FSB was formed to be the voice of our members and the small business and self-employed commuity across the UK, and today this remains at the core of what we do.

We work hard to win public policy changes - and stop poor ideas - on the business issues that matter most to you.  To do this, we create world-class research based on evidence and views from across our membership, and then campaign about that with politicians and decision-makers, as well as in the press, on broadcast and online.

Our advocacy starts with our team in Westminster, focusing on UK-wide and England issues with the UK Government and Parliament.  Our teams in Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast then work with governments and elected representatives in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. 

Insight

We show what’s really happening in the small business community. FSB member experiences and evidence shape our policy recommendations.

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Influence

We tell policymakers about the real issues facing small businesses like you. We’ve campaigned for change in key areas like late payments, energy, skills, and more.

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Impact

We make a difference in every corner of the UK through our local and national lobbying efforts. FSB has successfully lobbied for support packages and changes to legislation.

Latest on advocacy

Our latest report, The Future of the High Street, calls for more support and innovative thinking to help improve life for small firms on UK high streets. Supporting pop-ups, temporary use initiatives for new businesses, and mobile phone-based loyalty programmes are amongst recommendations. Download the report below for a range of statistics and information painting a picture of life on the high street.

Read the report

Making a difference for you

Recently we've secured important policy wins on important matters impacting the small business community, from energy and business rates, to devolved and local government issues.

Reducing the tax burden for the self-employed

Successfully cut self-employed Class IV National Insurance Contributions (NICs), and abolished Class II NICs, together leading to an average tax bill decrease of over £650 for the self-employed, each and every year.

Securing tax breaks

  • Secured tax deductibility for all self-employed training, allowing for more flexibility in business development and lifelong career transitions as small business owners learn new skills.
  • Clarified tax deductibility of business expenses like the new ULEZ charge in London and similar charges elsewhere – mitigating some of the economic impact on small business owners

Protecting employment allowance for Small Employers

  • Creating the Employment Allowance: This tax break removes the first £5,000 from small firms’ employers NICs bills, each and every year. The Allowance now covers all NICs for small employers with four employees earning the living wage.
  • Decade-long advocacy: FSB has consistently fought for and preserved this crucial support for one million small businesses who employ people.

Raising VAT threshold to benefit Small Businesses

Increased the VAT threshold to £90,000, providing relief for over 44,000 small businesses so they can now grow without falling into a complex and time-absorbing system that on average takes up over 40 hours per year, i.e. a standard working week just to administer VAT.

Fighting for business rates relief for SMEs

FSB has lobbied strongly to target business rates relief on where it can have most impact – small businesses, rather than expensive blanket changes.This has led to:

  • a 75% business rates cut for SMEs in hospitality, retail, and leisure sectors
  • a reduction to the small premises multiplier which is what sets the rate for these and all sectors each year

Secured Government funding for apprenticeships

  • Fully funding  apprenticeship training costs, increasing the ‘co-investment’ coverage from 95% to 100% of those costs
  • Creating and promoting apprenticeship transfers in the supply chain, so small firms in a large business supply chain can use some  of their apprenticeship levy funding to send to the small firms it works with

Tackling the scourge of late payments to Small Businesses

  • We have made changes to public policy to address the power imbalance between big firms and their small business suppliers - which leads to many small firms not being paid in full and on time for their work
  • The Government has announced reforms to Audit Committee legislation, Annual Report rules and a new Fair Payment code based on FSB's flagship changes. This will bring an end to a poor payment culture which threatens livelihoods of small business owners across the UK.