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The Small Business Commissioner was established by the
UK government ga, Rialtas a Shoilse gd, Riaghaltas a Mhòrachd , image = HM Government logo.svg , image_size = 220px , image2 = Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom (HM Government).svg , image_size2 = 180px , caption = Royal Arms , date_es ...
in the Enterprise Act of 2016.
Secretary of State for Business The Secretary of State for Business and Trade, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with responsibility for the Department for Business and Trade. The incumbent is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom. ...
Greg Clark Gregory David Clark (born 28 August 1967) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities from 7 July 2022 to 6 September 2022. A member of the Conservative Party, he has served as Member of P ...
announced the appointment of
Paul Uppal Paul Singh Uppal (born 14 June 1967) is a Conservative Party politician from the United Kingdom. He was the Member of Parliament for Wolverhampton South West from the 2010 general election to 2015. Uppal attempted to win the seat back at the ...
to the newly established post of Small Business Commissioner on 2 October 2017. On 20 December 2017, working with digital agency "dxw digital", an advice and complaints service was launched to help small businesses get paid on time and ensure fair payment practices. The role of the office of Small Business Commissioner is to provide general information and advice to small businesses about payment issues with larger businesses, and direct them to services to help them resolve their payment issues. The Commissioner also offers a complaint service. Supporting the Britain's 5.5 million small businesses is a priority outlined in the UK government’s Industrial Strategy.


Background

The Small Business Commissioner was established as a non-departmental public body by the
Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) is a department of His Majesty's Government. The department was formed during a machinery of government change on 14 July 2016, following Theresa May's appointment as Prime ...
. It was announced in a discussion paper issued in July 2015 and was formally proposed for creation within the Enterprise Bill introduced into the
UK Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative supremacy ...
in September 2015.
Anna Soubry Anna Mary Soubry (; born 7 December 1956) is a British barrister, journalist and former politician who was Member of Parliament (MP) for Broxtowe from 2010 to 2019. Known for her support of pro-European policies, she was originally elected as ...
MP, the Minister of State for Small Business, Industry and Enterprise within the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, believes that the Small Business Commissioner will 'build the confidence and capabilities of
small business Small businesses are types of corporations, partnerships, or sole proprietorships which have fewer employees and/or less annual revenue than a regular-sized business or corporation. Businesses are defined as "small" in terms of being able to a ...
es to help them assert themselves in
contractual A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
disputes and negotiate more effectively'. Under the legislation, the Commissioner will: *enable small businesses to resolve disputes and avoid future issues through general advice and information *signpost to appropriate services e.g. sector ombudsmen or regulators, existing independent advice services, approved
alternative dispute resolution Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or external dispute resolution (EDR), typically denotes a wide range of dispute resolution processes and techniques that parties can use to settle disputes with the help of a third party. They are used for ...
(ADR) providers or the Commissioner's own complaints handling function *consider complaints by small business suppliers about payment issues with larger businesses that they supply The
Federation of Small Businesses The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is a UK business organisation representing small and medium-sized businesses. It was formed in 1974 as the National Federation of Self Employed (NFSE). The current name for the organisation was adopted in ...
has described the proposal as 'a step in the right direction'.Federation of Small Businesses, 'Enterprise Bill needs to deliver for small businesses, says FSB' 17 September 2015 http://www.fsb.org.uk/pressroom/assets/92%20-%20late%20payment%20commissioner.pdf accessed 26 September 2015


References

{{Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Small business Non-departmental public bodies of the United Kingdom government Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy