Forum of Private Business

The Forum of Private Business, commonly known as the FPB, is a United Kingdom-based member-funded trade association serving small and medium-sized enterprises. Founded in 1977 by engineer and business owner Stan Mendham, the organisation was created in response to what he regarded as insufficient understanding of smaller firms' needs and an expanding burden of regulation. Mendham studied comparable member organisations in the United States and Canada before establishing a British body intended to combine practical assistance for business owners with advocacy on public policy. The FPB presents itself as a non-party-political organisation. Its central role has been to collect evidence from members, communicate their views to policymakers and campaign for measures intended to support private enterprise. A distinctive feature of its approach is the use of recurring member surveys, described by the organisation as referendums and conducted approximately every three months. These surveys have been used to identify concerns among smaller businesses and to provide evidence for lobbying on employment law, business taxation, banking, late payment, crime and regulatory administration. Its policy work has covered issues such as statutory sick pay, business rates, employment documentation, the Working Time Directive, relationships between banks and smaller companies, and the payment of commercial debts. The organisation attributes a number of policy developments to its submissions and campaigning, including changes to sick-pay protections, simplified employment statements, modifications to business-rate arrangements and the introduction of statutory interest for qualifying late commercial payments. It has also organised public events, including a national Small Firms Summit, to bring together owner-managers, business leaders and political figures. Alongside advocacy, the FPB provides practical support to members and the wider business community. Its services have included business news, short-form guidance articles, operational tools and calculators, business guides and templates. Subject areas mentioned in the organisation's materials include credit control, employment administration, health and safety, contracts and other routine business documentation. Some content is freely available while other services are connected to paid membership or commercial member benefits. The organisation has also offered products and services intended to help members reduce operating costs. The FPB has worked with businesses across the United Kingdom while maintaining its base at Ashley Hall on the privately owned Tatton Estate. Historical descriptions of the organisation state that it represented more than 25,000 UK businesses, although a current membership figure is not established in the supplied material. The organisation has also supported the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group as a chosen charity, with staff fundraising through sponsored sporting and endurance activities. Its documented role is therefore broader than that of a conventional consultancy: it combines member representation, policy advocacy, information services and practical business support for privately owned firms.

The Forum of Private Business was established in the United Kingdom in 1977 by Stan Mendham, an engineer who had run his own business and became concerned that policymakers did not sufficiently understand the operating conditions of smaller companies. He was also troubled by the growth of administrative and regulatory obligations. After examining member-based organisations serving small businesses in North America, Mendham created a British counterpart built around collective representation, practical assistance and the principle that policy positions should reflect the views of members. From its beginning, the FPB used regular surveys to gather evidence from participating businesses. The organisation calls these exercises referendums and historically conducted them every three months. This process gave members a formal mechanism for expressing views on legislation and economic policy, while providing the FPB with material for discussions with ministers, officials and public bodies. The organisation remained non-party political and focused its campaigns on issues affecting privately owned small and medium-sized enterprises. During the 1980s, the FPB pursued changes to employment administration, business taxation and local business charges. Its policy interventions were associated with government action on sick pay, the inclusion of FPB-raised issues in the 1985 Burdens in Business White Paper, and the introduction of a simplified statement of employment terms in 1987. In 1988, the organisation reported success in securing limits on annual business-rate increases, a lower increase for smaller firms compared with larger businesses and additional time for transitional arrangements. The organisation continued to use member research to address financial and operational risks. In 1991, its evidence helped prompt a government inquiry into banks' relationships with small companies. A 1993 crime survey of 2,670 members found that nearly half had experienced crime in the preceding year, leading the FPB to engage with police chiefs and publicise the issue. In 1994, it campaigned against proposed statutory sick-pay changes that could have exposed smaller firms to disproportionate costs and reported obtaining additional protection for companies facing unusually high sickness levels. Research in 1996 contributed to a government review of the Uniform Business Rate and its effect on small enterprises. Late payment was another sustained area of advocacy. Following approximately fifteen years of campaigning, the FPB associated its work with the introduction in 1998 of a statutory right to interest on certain late commercial payments under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act. In 2000, the government investigation led by Don Cruickshank considered FPB research and met members. The resulting findings stated that banks had overcharged smaller businesses by about £500 million, giving additional prominence to the organisation's concerns about access to fair banking services. In the 2000s, the FPB continued to campaign on employment and regulatory matters. It attributed part of the government's decision in 2004 not to accept wholesale changes to the European Working Time Directive to its lobbying. In 2006, it organised its first national Small Firms Summit, a conference intended to connect owner-managers and directors with policymakers and other stakeholders. The following year, it reported helping prevent the abolition of statutory sick-pay relief for small firms. The FPB's service role developed alongside its policy work. Its website has offered business news, short practical articles, tools and calculators, while its business-support materials have included guides on credit control, employment and health and safety. It has also supplied free and paid templates for forms, procedures and routine business documentation. Some benefits have been available through membership, and the organisation has promoted products and services designed to help members manage or reduce business costs. The FPB has been based at Ashley Hall on the privately owned Tatton Estate, between Knutsford in Cheshire and Altrincham in Greater Manchester, while working with businesses throughout the United Kingdom. Historical reference material describes it as representing more than 25,000 UK businesses, but a current membership total is not established here. The organisation has additionally supported the Children's Cancer and Leukaemia Group, with employees raising funds through activities including the Wilmslow Half-Marathon, a Snowdon hike, the Three Peaks Challenge and a sponsored relay walk on the Wirral Way.

• 2006

  First national Small Firms Summit

  [1]Forum of Private Businessen.wikipedia.org

  The FPB convened its first national summit for owners, directors and representatives of smaller companies.

• 1998

  Statutory late-payment interest established

  [1]Forum of Private Businessen.wikipedia.org

  After a prolonged campaign, statutory interest for qualifying late commercial payments was introduced.

• 1987

  Simplified employment terms introduced

  [1]Forum of Private Businessen.wikipedia.org

  FPB lobbying was associated with the introduction of a simplified statement of principal employment terms.

• 1982

  Sick-pay proposals adopted

  [1]Forum of Private Businessen.wikipedia.org

  The organisation linked member referendum responses to government adoption of proposals concerning sick pay.

• 1977

  Forum founded

  [1]Forum of Private Businessen.wikipedia.org

  Stan Mendham established the Forum of Private Business to represent smaller companies and provide a member-based alternative focused on private enterprise.

A non-party-political, member-funded representative body combining practical business support with evidence-based advocacy for UK small and medium-sized enterprises.

• Business information services

  Business advice and guides

  The FPB has provided practical material for owner-managers covering recurring operational and compliance issues. Documented subjects include credit control, employment administration, health and safety and other aspects of running a private business. The materials are intended to turn complex requirements into usable guidance rather than serve as general promotional content.

• Business documentation

  Business templates

  The organisation has offered free and paid templates for business forms, procedures and other routine documentation. These resources are designed to help smaller firms create and maintain administrative records without having to develop every document from scratch.

• Digital business tools

  Online tools and calculators

  The FPB website has included tools and calculators intended for everyday business administration. The supplied reference material does not specify the complete catalogue, but describes them as practical resources available alongside business news and short advice articles.

• Member benefits

  Member products and services

  As a member-funded organisation, the FPB has offered products and services intended to provide practical assistance and help participating businesses save money. The available material does not identify every supplier, product category or current membership benefit.

• 2007Small-firm statutory sick-pay relief campaign

  United Kingdom

  The organisation opposed a proposal to remove statutory sick-pay relief for small firms, arguing that the change would increase pressure on smaller employers.

  Outcome. The FPB reported that the government abandoned its plan to scrap the relief.

  Source
• 2004Working Time Directive lobbying

  United Kingdom · European Union policy

  The FPB lobbied against proposed wholesale amendments to the European Working Time Directive that it considered potentially burdensome for smaller employers.

  Outcome. The government did not accept the proposed wholesale amendments, a result the FPB partly attributed to its lobbying.

  Source
• 1998Late-payment reform campaign

  United Kingdom

  The FPB campaigned for an effective remedy against businesses that paid commercial suppliers late, using member evidence and policy lobbying over approximately fifteen years.

  Outcome. The government introduced a statutory right to interest through the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act.

  Source
• 1996Uniform Business Rate campaign

  United Kingdom

  The FPB used research on members to highlight the effect of the Uniform Business Rate on smaller firms.

  Outcome. The government agreed to review the rate's impact on smaller businesses.

  Source

1. 1Forum of Private Businessen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Forum of Private Business official websitefpb.org