Dragon rips into government schemes
Business Support and Networking - 12/09/2006 15:11:29
Current business support and networking schemes on offer from the government are a waste of taxpayers' money, the man in charge of a review into them has said.
Doug Richard, former star of BBC Two's Dragons' Den, also claims that business support schemes currently offered to small to medium-sized enterprises are a missed opportunity to help entrepreneurs establish more start-up businesses.
Mr Richard said: "Both the quality and quantity of state support for business needs a complete rethink.
"The failure to provide effective support is both a waste of taxpayers' money and a lost opportunity to grow an entrepreneurial economy. A willingness to spend money is not enough."
Mr Richard is to lead a Tory party review into the UK's business support and networking schemes, which he claims will determine the effectiveness of 3,000 projects.
Tory party MPs have been lambasting the government for its handling of the situation and claim that Labour have created a multi-million pound maze of support schemes despite a promise in the March Budget to have put in place no more than 100 by 2008.
The Confederation of British Industry has also called into question the effectiveness of many of the schemes and voiced concerns over their ability to help support small business.
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