Forum's Scotland panel unimpressed with Business Gateway scheme

15 November 2011

The Forum of Private Business's first ever member panel survey of Scottish firms has shown widespread dissatisfaction with the Business Gateway scheme.

The Forum's research saw just 19% of SMEs admit to being satisfied with the body set up by the Scottish Government in partnership with local authorities to help business trade profitably.

The survey, conducted exclusively with the Forum's Scottish members, showed 41% were 'not-satisfied' with the services provided by Gateway, which is supposed to offer business and support to enterprise, and a further 40% were 'not sure'.

In the same survey, local authorities in Scotland also came in for a bashing by business leaders, with a sizeable 67% of respondents expressing dissatisfaction with their council and the way it is helping SMEs in the current climate.

Issues raised ranged from falling service levels coupled with increases in business rates – examples cited included lack of recycling for businesses – to the lack of investment in infrastructure, poor communication between town halls and local business, excessive town centre parking charges and a complete lack of any meaningful help for businesses.

The Forum's Chief Executive, Phil Orford, said: "There appears to be a distinct lack of confidence among our Scottish members with the Business Gateway project.

"Less than a fifth of our members surveyed were satisfied with the organisation; the lion's share (81%), were dissatisfied or didn't know enough about them to comment.

"For any organisation to be held in such low regard by the very people it is supposed to be working alongside is troubling. The fact this is a support group, often for fledgling enterprises, makes it all the more concerning.

"Our research suggests Gateway is not doing enough to help small firms build momentum and keep that momentum going once they are up and running. This really needs to be addressed."

The research indicated a general unhappiness with Gateway among Forum members. Among the complaints cited from members with direct experience of the organisation were of not being happy with the service they received, excessive governance structure for accessing Gateway contracts, and difficulty in contacting the right person in a timely fashion.

A Forum member who runs a small confectionary business on the Isle of Skye, said: "Business Gateway is remote. There is no manned reception locally for me and often the information signposting is inadequate, even misplaced.

"Their website is a useful resource, but nothing compares to tailored face-to-face advice because you often need a range of advice and seeing three different 'specialists' takes time with its inherent costs."

Any businesses interested in joining the panel or becoming a Forum member should telephone 0845 612 6266.

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