ALEX Pratt, chairman of a newly-formed support organisation for small companies, is determined to provide a relevant business service for firms in the area.

Business Link, covering Bucks, Oxon and Milton Keynes, went live on March 26 when it officially took over the role of Business Link Thames Valley. Two-thirds of the board of directors come from SMEs.

Mr Pratt said: "As a businessman myself I have always been aware of the confusion and the lack of clarity as to what these support agencies are offering.

"Business Link is being run by business people for business people and is about focusing on giving people what they want. A majority of the funding will go into delivery.

"We need to offer our services to businesses when they want it and need to be more pro-active in meeting those needs."

Mr Pratt, who was nominated by the Buckinghamshire Economic Partnership to take on the role of chairman, is MD of Sunalex Ltd in Aylesbury, a company he set up originally in 1986 and which exports specialised tasklighting for industrial sewing machines.

He has transferred his business experience to the organisation at Business Link. It will directly employ a team of seven from a small office near Aylesbury, headed by chief executive Graeme Finch, as well as employing around 70 full-time equivalent expert advisers from across the area.

"An advantage of covering a larger area is that you get economies of scale to put more resources into customer service. There will be only one area phone number and boundaries will disappear to provide the same quality of service across the area," explained Mr Pratt.

But he is also aware of the need to provide a very local service and Business Link aims to open an access point on the Cressex Business Park to serve the business community.

He said: "Local businesses want solutions to their needs locally. We still need the economic partnerships for infrastructure and other central issues covering the whole area."

Business Link can be contacted on (0845) 606 4466 and more information is available on its website: www.businesslinksolutions.co.uk

Related Links