The recent decision of Prime Minister Tony Blair to reshuffle his cabinet has been hit by an interest group, saying that the move has once again ignored the welfare of small businesses.

The Forum of Private Business (FPB) has maintained that the decision has been detrimental for businessmen and business owners who own small businesses. They particularly cite the reshuffling of the Department of Trade and Industry but overlooking the fact that the position for Small Firms Minister has remained vacant.

FPB Chief Executive Nick Goulding said that he thinks what has happened is another case illustrating the negligence of the interests of small businesses. He maintained that since the post was scrapped by Prime Minister Blair, the needs of small enterprises have gone down the pecking order.

The Small Firms Minister’s duties has been shared out to the Minister of State for Industry and Regions Alan Michaels and Parliamentary Under Secretary Barry Gardener and this is not something that small businesses agree with. In the latest round of ministerial reshuffling the positions have been removed.

According to members of the FPB, small businesses should have ministerial representation at the Cabinet level. Based on a survey conducted on FPB members, 81 per cent of respondents voted in favour of having a Small Firms Minister in the Cabinet.

Goulding shared that “Government is increasingly distant from small firms, whilst large business seems to have direct access to decision makers.”

company formation and business solutions professionals are urging the government to also listen to these interest groups in order to determine if their claims can actually help small businesses in the country.

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