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A key part of our work at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) is building bridges between local government and the small business community. We listen, collaborate and guide to ensure that our communities are set up to survive. Councils play a huge role in making that happen at a local level, which is why we have launched our inaugural Local Government Awards. The ceremony is set to take place virtually on Friday 14^th October 2022, 11am-1pm. 

We are delighted to be sponsored by Maybe*, who work with UK Government and many local authorities across England to help thousands of small businesses get more from social media. 

FSB has successfully run local awards ceremonies for local authorities across England for over ten years – you may have attended one of those yourselves. From these awards, we consistently get positive feedback: local authorities report finding it a valued opportunity to make useful links with small business colleagues, optimise the opportunity to showcase vital projects, and enjoy celebrating and sharing best practice with other local authorities. 

This year we are building on those successes and are extending the invitation to councils across England for a unified national awards ceremony. 

Local government plays a critical role in powering a thriving small business community. It undertakes planning strategies that build the infrastructure of a healthy business environment, offers business support programmes to deliver targeted support, and signposts and delivers grants to help small business grow. Thriving communities are built on thriving business communities. For every £1 spent in a small business, around 63p is invested back into the local economy. They also play a vital role in job creation – the small business community is a bigger employer than the NHS, the UK’s single biggest employer.

When COVID-19 struck, FSB worked closer than ever with local authorities to make sure that small businesses and sole traders were supported to survive – opening up access to government grants distributed via local authorities and using FSB networks to ensure business engagement and support was aimed at those who needed it most. Together, we worked day and night to help those in the small business community – from sole traders to new entrepreneurs to multi-generational businesses – to survive against the odds. We know how important that work was, and we also know that the hard work doesn’t stop here. With any crisis will come long-term and widespread ramifications. 

With the current cost-of-living crisis comes a cost-of-doing-business crisis. Increases in taxes, supplies, wages, and energy costs have meant that outgoings have spiralled. Yet, with many people struggling to make ends meet, disposable income has gone down. And with it, the income of many small businesses. On top of this, many small businesses still have not reached full trading capacity following COVID.