Chancellor winds down Manufacturing Advisory Service
03/12/2015 Manufacturing Advisory Service North West (MAS)
The Business Growth Service (BGS), which includes the popular Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) and the Growth Accelerator programme, closed this week.A statement published on the BGS website said: "As part of the Spending Review settlement, the government has decided to wind down the national delivery of the Business Growth Service." The BGS will close to new applicants on Monday 30 November and will honour all existing commitments as long as they are completed by 31 March 2016.
Rob Coleridge, associate at national law firm Thomas Eggar LLP (recently confirmed to be merging with Irwin Mitchell) commented,
"Overall, winding up the BGS is not a promising statement of intent by the government. The BGS, via MAS and the Growth Accelerator Programme, provided invaluable assistance to British manufacturing in what are difficult times. The BGS didn't just help businesses to negotiate the bureaucracy of tax credits; crucially, it gave small to medium sized manufacturers centralised access to a wealth of experience and a network of vital contacts, which they might not otherwise have had and which gave them the confidence to expand and the opportunity to succeed.
"UK manufacturing has been in decline but that is not the fault of the BGS and winding it up could make things worse. While some professional service firms can offer similar guidance to the BGS, many manufacturers will be reluctant to ask for fear of being lured into incurring unnecessary costs, even if that may not be the case. From a different perspective, the government will lose direct access to and feedback from many manufacturers. Consequently, manufacturers are going to feel less supported and measuring success is going to be more difficult than ever. The government is going to have to work hard to overcome these issues."
For more information, please visit: www.ga.businessgrowthservice.greatbusiness.gov.uk/
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