Millions of voters who run their own businesses are still to make a final decision on who they will back on polling day, according to a snap general election survey by the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB). It reveals that 96 per cent of small business owners intend to vote, but one-in-five (20%) have yet to decide which party they will choose, while a further one-in-three (33%) have a good idea who they will vote for but could still change their mind. FSB’s research found 90 per cent of small business owners are concerned business taxes could rise under the next Government, while 92 per cent of small employers said they were concerned a future Government could increase the costs and risks associated with employing people. More than half (53%) say they are concerned about small business energy costs over the next five years; more than six-in-ten (61%) are concerned about the level of inflation over the next five years. The findings come as FSB publishes a manifesto for small businesses and the self-employed – a blueprint for whoever forms the next Government aimed at driving economic growth and increasing the small business community from 5.5 million back to its pre-pandemic size of six million within the next Parliament. FSB’s Policy Chair, Tina McKenzie, said: “Small business owners and the self-employed are a shrewd and motivated part of the electorate. “They’re used to weighing up competing offers when running their businesses, and it’s clear from our research that when it comes to the election they’re looking for which of the parties has the most compelling pro-small business offer. “Small businesses are the key to securing economic recovery, driving innovation, and creating jobs in all parts of the UK. “Our small business manifesto sets out the measures needed to create the conditions for that to happen, many of which do not involve additional spending. “We’re looking to all of those seeking to form the next Government to show their commitment to the millions of hard-working voters who run their own businesses, including through a Small Business Act so we have new legislation to protect small businesses on crucial issues such as late payment.” MANIFESTO PROPOSALS FSB’s manifesto for small businesses and the self-employed sets out more than 150 specific proposals to cover the period of the next Parliament. These include: Committing to a Small Business Act, legislating to help small firms by:  

• Enshrining in law measures to clamp down on big businesses with poor payment practices towards their smaller suppliers.
• Improving small businesses’ ability to access finance, including closing loopholes in protections for those giving personal guarantees.

• Making a 33 per cent SME statutory public procurement target, increasing the involvement of small businesses in taxpayer-funded projects.

Giving reassurance on tax:

• Fundamentally reform business rates to help small businesses in all sectors.
• Rule out increases in tax on dividends for directors of limited companies and National Insurance for the self-employed.

• Restore the small profits threshold for corporation tax to the previous level of £250,000 and pledge not to increase the small profits rate.

Backing small employers, jobs and skills:

• Automatically increase the employment allowance with the National Living Wage.
• Maintain current co-investment rules to back small business apprenticeships.

• Reintroduce universal work experience into secondary schools.

Encouraging start-ups:

• Increase the number of start-up loans offered by 5,000.
• Create a new ‘new enterprise allowance’ for those out of work looking to start a business.

• Make it easier for people working for themselves to get a mortgage and save for their retirement.

Driving future growth:

• Introduce a new Small Housebuilder Strategy, to ensure sufficient capacity to achieve ambitious housebuilding targets.
• Commit to a target that at least half of all direct Government funding of private Research and Development (R&D) goes to SMEs.

• Provide consumer-style protections for smaller businesses when it comes to the energy market.

Over 18 million people in the UK have now used Generative AI (GenAI), according to new findings from Deloitte’s 2024 Digital Consumer Trends research, based on a survey of 4,150 UK adults aged 16-75. In the UK, three in five (60%) people are now aware of GenAI and over a third (36%) have used a GenAI tool, an increase of 26% (13 million people) from May 2023. However, notable gender and age gaps were apparent in the findings with 43% of men having used GenAI, compared to just 28% of women. The technology is also primarily used by younger groups, with 62% of people aged 16-34 having actively used it, compared to only 14% of 55-75 year olds. GenAI in the workplace One in seven people (14%) have used GenAI for work, equating to around seven million people, increasing from four million a year ago. Of those using GenAI for work, three in four (74%) claim a productivity boost of either ‘a fair amount’ or ‘a great deal’. However, just 27% of those in work claim that their employer encourages the use of GenAI, suggesting that the majority may be doing so without their employer’s official endorsement. Among those who have used GenAI for work, the most popular reasons are generating ideas (44%) and looking up information (41%), followed by creating written content (39%), writing/editing emails (38%), and summarising text (37%). Paul Lee, partner and head of technology, media and telecommunications research at Deloitte, said: “Employees are moving faster than their employers when it comes to adopting GenAI to transform how they work. While workers are signalling that GenAI can boost their output and save them time, many employees may not be supported, encouraged, or explicitly endorsed to use the technology by their organisation. “While the most popular uses tend to be generating ideas and looking up information, these may not be optimal applications of GenAI, given known issues such as hallucination. Employers need to step up and invest in tools and governance to better support their staff in using this technology. Additionally, usage has to thrive among all types of employees, not just certain demographics, if the tools are to be most effective.” Improving AI fluency is vital for businesses The survey also demonstrates that the frequency of use of GenAI is variable. Amongst those using the technology, one in three (36%) do so either daily or weekly, whereas two in five (41%) use it less than monthly. Of these low-frequency users, 23% did not find it helpful, 19% were not satisfied with its answers and 18% claimed they did not know how to use it well. Meanwhile, many of those aware of GenAI are not familiar with its risks, including potential inaccuracies and biases. Among those aware of GenAI, 25% believe it is always factually accurate, and 26% think it is unbiased. Those who have used GenAI are even more likely to be unaware of risks, as 36% of users believe it is always accurate, and 36% think it is unbiased. However, among those aware of GenAI, more than half (59%) would be less inclined to trust an email if they knew it was created with GenAI. Similarly, 56% would be less inclined to use a customer service if they knew they were conversing with a GenAI assistant. Costi Perricos, partner and global Generative AI lead at Deloitte, said: “Whether organisations have supportive or strict policies on the use of Generative AI, it is clear that improving business AI fluency is vital. “GenAI deployment should be accompanied by a thorough learning and development programme, including training on ethics and responsible use, and guidance on how to get the most value from GenAI tools. HR leaders have a key role to play, creating a clear framework in which their workforce can operate.” Lee concluded: “In 2024, companies ought to be asking what they should do with GenAI, rather than focusing purely on everything it could do. The C-suite is increasingly looking for proof of return on investment in technologies before funding large scale deployment across their workforce. However, there are barriers to this, as quantifying employee productivity can be difficult, particularly in knowledge-based roles. “Businesses are also exploring customer facing GenAI tools but should be aware that they may face some initial hesitance as fluency improves. Customers may be more welcoming of GenAI if they can be convinced that it enables a better, faster experience, with higher quality answers. Business leaders must fund and drive this education.”

Hull City Council has £370,000 to property renovation company Giroscope to bring as many as ten empty homes back into use as social housing. Martin Newman, Giroscope Coordinator, said: “Giroscope is pleased to continue its partnership working with Hull City Council.  This grant will assist our work in bringing back empty and dilapidated properties into use as social housing.  The demand for housing in the city at the moment is greater than ever and we are proud to be working with the council to develop new homes” West Hull-based Giroscope, which specialises in buying and renovating long-term empty homes, has received the funds from the Right to Buy Replacement Programme Fund. Mark Nearney, Assistant Director for Neighbourhoods and Housing said: “It’s imperative that we use every tool at our disposal to provide as many houses as possible for social rent. As well as building our own houses, it makes sense that the council works with partner organisations like Giroscope when opportunities such as this arise. “Empty homes blight local communities.  Bringing them back into use not only provides much needed, quality homes for rent, it improves the look of the area and reduces the problems that attract anti-social behaviour and pest infestations.”