Government Launches Small Business Commissioner to Help Resolve Payment Disputes
If you are one of the estimated 20% of small businesses which have run in to cash flow problems due to late payments, then help may finally be at hand.
The government has finally launched the complaint handling service of the Small Business Commissioner to ensure fair payment practices for small businesses. This follows the appointment of Paul Uppal to the role of Small Business Commissioner in October 2017.
The Commissioner’s website has also gone live, providing guidance on payment issues including how to take action if a payment is overdue.
Margot James, Small Business Minister, says that £14 billion is owed to UK small businesses and estimates that taking action on late payment could potentially deliver a £2.5 billion annual boost to the economy.
The Small Business Commissioner’s website provides guidance on how to ‘check, chase, and choose’ in respect of dealing with unfair and late payments, that is:
– check if the right information has been provided to the right people in order for an invoice to be paid
– chase effectively when a payment is overdue
– choose how to take further action, including the option of submitting a complaint to the Small Business Commissioner