Government 'failing' entrepreneurs

Would different laws encourage more entrepreneurs?

British entrepreneurs feel let down by a government that does not understand their needs, according to a survey.

Accounting group Ernst & Young suggested 85% of entrepreneurs questioned felt unsupported by the government in 2002.

It's not as though the government isn't trying to do something about enterprise in this country

David Wilkinson, Ernst & Young

This is an increase from 80% when the survey was conducted a year earlier.

"The ideas behind the (government's) initiatives are sound in theory but they are overcomplicated and impractical," said David Wilkinson, head of entrepreneurial growth at Ernst & Young.

'Misguided'

Mr Wilkinson suggested the government was not unwilling to encourage enterprise in the UK.

But he said it simply didn't know how to go about supporting the needs of entrepreneurs.

Stop bringing in new employment laws which are forcing up costs and driving companies abroad

Entrepreneur

"It's not as though the government isn't trying to do something about enterprise in this country. It is.

"But it's often misguided."

Ernst & Young's annual Enterprise Survey polled 817 entrepreneurs. But it suggested only 27% of these believed the UK had an environment which allowed business to flourish.

Almost 70% of those questioned suggested entrepreneurship was a low priority for the current government, and high on the list of complaints was the complicated employment law.

A number of those surveyed said Britain's laws for small businesses were hindering growth.

"Stop bringing in new employment laws which are forcing up costs and driving companies abroad," said one businessman surveyed.

Bigger picture

A number of those questioned also tackled larger issues and the services offered to UK businesses.

The Enterprise Survey suggested 83% of entrepreneurs felt the national healthcare system was a failure, while 79% questioned education and training policies.

And only 2% believed the country's current transport system was satisfactory.