Use, satisfaction and the influence of local governance regime

This paper compares the performance of English Business Link (BL) with Scotland’s Small Business Gateway and Wales’ Business Connect. Within England it compares BLs that are independent with those that are de facto subsidiaries of chambers of commerce or other organisations. Using 2002 large-scale survey data, the paper shows that BL has become the dominant public source of advice in England, with the RDAs and LSCs yet to make any impact. Market penetration, impact and satisfaction have all increased compared with 1997 survey results, but much of this increase is due to BLs that are subsidiaries, particularly those that are subsidiaries of chambers of commerce. In Scotland and Wales, a national–local system has emerged that achieves similar performance but with greater emphasis on brokerage and referrals. Assessment of BL fee regimes shows that fee charging is uncorrelated with client satisfaction. The government’s Skills Strategy has emerged to be a potential danger to BL performance if it shifts the emphasis away from a focus on client needs towards meeting government skill targets.