Small businesses are still failing to get the assistance they need from the Banks, despite the recent release of the Business Finance Taskforce
The Taskforce was set up in 2010 by the British Bankers’ Association (BBA) with the intention of getting the banks to commit to specific service levels. There were 17 points across three broad areas, one of these was making it possible for better access to finance.
The Banks, however, would seem to be not really meeting their obligations and commitments in lending to small businesses and the Taskforce is not achieving its target here.
According to a post on the Forum following a survey of small businesses proprietors, 24 percent are calling for alternative types and sources of finance and funding and Twenty-four per cent have called for a lot more choice in the services made available from the banks. In total, 26 per-cent of respondents are seeking out alternative financial products.
According to Mervyn King, the Governor of the Bank of England, banking institutions should be incentivised in order to lend to small to medium sized businesses. Mervyn King said that while Quantitative Easing has lowered larger corporation’s reliance on banking institutions, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), remain constrained to borrowing from the banking system. King described this as being a ‘special concern’, and one that he raises frequently at hearings of the Treasury Committee on Parliament. .
A lot is hinging on next month’s Autumn Statement, and business groups are calling for the Chancellor to be bold and make targeted announcements to improve growth.
What can we expect then from the Autumn Statement due out late in November? As more and more negative economic data heaps up, more and more pressure will be applied to the Government.
Business groups are expecting to see announcements on banking reform, as well as a method to secure the future for power intensive sectors, and an update on the second phase in the Growth Review, which is assessing policy that’s holding back growth of investment and hiring by businesses.
The Chancellor is also expected to flesh out Credit Easing, and clarify exactly how it may help businesses.
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