Wales’ small businesses empowered to take action on unfair payment practices.

The Government has launched a complaint handling service for small businesses to ensure fair payment practices.

Paul Uppal has been appointment to the role of Small Business Commissioner he will support 208,000 small businesses in Wales to resolve payment disputes and tackle larger businesses unfair payment practices.

Small businesses can now submit late payment complaints to the Commissioner, and a new guidance website to help small businesses with late payment issues is now live: click here.

The Small Business Commissioner will:

• Provide general advice and information to small businesses on matters such as resolving disputes
• Signpost small businesses to existing support and dispute resolution services through the SBC’s website
• Consider complaints about payment issues between small business suppliers (that is businesses with fewer than 50 staff) and their larger customers making (non-binding) recommendations on how the parties should resolve their disputes.

Paul Uppal, Small Business Commissioner, said:

“Having run my own small business for over twenty years I am well aware that integrity and trust are key to running and building a successful business.

My mission is to help all small businesses nurture positive and lasting relationships with their customers that work in the best interests of both.

Today I am launching a new website so small businesses know their rights, as well as how to contact me if they need further action to be taken when the larger businesses they supply owe them money.”

• A third of payments to small businesses are late.
• 20% of small businesses have run in to cash flow problems due to late payments.
• If small businesses were paid on time, this could boost the economy by an estimated £2.5 billion annually.

Mike Cherry, National Chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said:

“The UK is gripped by a poor payments crisis, over 30 per cent of payments to small businesses are late and the average value of each payment is £6,142.

This not only impacts on the small business and the owner, it is damaging the wider economy.

The Small Business Commissioner is crucial to turning the tide on this late payments culture.

FSB will be encouraging small businesses affected to use the service, and we hope then to see clear actions taken to tackle the worst examples of supply chain bullying.”