Government completes simplified business solutions framework

The Department for Business said the new framework will make it easier for companies, small and large, new and existing, to find the right products to help them with common business issues such as getting started, growing, finance, export, skills, innovation and the environment. And from today (1 April) Train to Gain and Business Link brokers will come together in a new service under the Business Link brand to offer advice on skills, reinforcing Business Link's role as the main route to government support. In a second announcement, an independent report for the government from PricewaterhouseCoopers has concluded that Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) are making a real difference to the economy. The report shows that, overall, every pound invested by RDAs will generate at least £4.50 for the regional economy. Business Secretary Lord Mandelson (pictured) said: "The RDAs are working. We have clear evidence that their programmes are helping to drive regional economies - creating jobs, helping businesses and boosting skills. "They are on the front line of our response to the global downturn. But their medium and long term interventions and investments are equally important to prepare for the upturn. It will help ensure that we emerge stronger. "I think RDAs can do even more. They must relentlessly focus on economic recovery and growth and are ideally placed to help lay down the commercial infrastructure of the 21st Century. "I am confident that the RDAs can rise to this challenge. I have asked them to report back to me by the end of May and will be closely following their progress."