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DECEMBER 2015 PRO INSTALLER
PRO BUSINESS
www.proinstaller.co.uk
New FSB brand
makes it easier
for small
businesses
THE Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has launched
a new brand alongside a major digital investment
to better reflect the UK’s small business sector.
The move is intended
to enhance the organisation’s appeal to the
ever changing make up
of the UK’s 5.4 million
small businesses. It will
also make it easier for
smaller businesses to
see what the FSB has
to offer, streamlining
access to membership
services, joining processes and campaign
activity.
New FSB research1 found
that smaller businesses
greatly value the sorts of
membership services the
FSB already offers including
its 24/7 legal advice, financial support, and employment expertise. However,
the research also found that,
among small businesses
who were not yet members
of the FSB, awareness of
these services was not widespread.
‘created and led by smaller
businesses for smaller business’
The organisation has now
made an investment in its
online presence and will become more active on social
media.
FSB director David Miles
said: “FSB is created and
led by smaller businesses
for smaller businesses. We
know our members really
value the services we offer.
However, we need to get
better at getting the message out. Our website is
our shop window and I am
confident today’s investment
will help great numbers of
businesses to see the value
of what we offer.”
The UK has been ranked
as one of the most entrepreneurial in the world. There
are now more businesses
UK house prices
continue to grow
The cost of a typical home
reaches a new record high,
according to official figures,
with growth of 6.1% over the
past year.
The Office for National Statistics
(ONS) measured a jump of £1,000
in the typical cost of a property
between August and September.
It left the average price at a new
peak of £286,000.
The rises were again driven by
England - where average costs
are just below £300,000. Values in
Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland remain below the levels seen
before the financial crisis.
The ONS said starter home costs
were rising at a slower rate on average than those across the wider
market - with a first-time buyer
paying 4.3% more than they did a
year ago at £216,000.
London’s rapid rate of price growth
continued to ease down, rising by
7.2% over the 12 months to a new
record high of £531,000. Property
prices in Northern Ireland, which
remain almost 40% below their
pre-crisis high, achieved the fastest
rate of annual growth at 10.2%.
The official figures lag behind
other house price reports, conducted by the likes of Nationwide and the Royal Institution of
Chartered Surveyors. They have
pointed to demand continuing to
far outstrip supply as the market
enters its traditional slowdown
ahead of Christmas.
The Prime Minister has demanded a house-building “crusade”
to help ease the crisis over the
shortage of homes through the
relaxation of planning laws.
However, the building industry
has argued that a lack of skilled
workers could limit the Government’s ambitions. A recent report
found the construction sector
needed an additional one million
staff to meet demand for one million new homes by 2020.
Source: www.
specificationonline.co.uk
than ever starting up with
around 5.4 million registered in the UK at the start
of this year, an increase of
1.9 million since the turn
of the millennium. More
than 99% of private sector
businesses are small firms,
accounting for 48% of
private sector employment
and 33% of private sector
turnover2.
1 Research commissioned
by FSB, 2015, amongst 600+
UK small businesses.
2 Department for Business
Innovation & Skills, Business Population Estimates
for the UK and Regions
2015 statistical bulletin, published 14 October 2015.
Source: www.fsb.org.uk