The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has urged the newly-elected leader of the opposition, Ed Miliband, to remember that small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK economy and to ‘think small first'.

“Small businesses are the biggest employer in the UK and that it is they that will take the UK firmly onto the road to recovery,” said John Walker, National Chairman, Federation of Small Businesses, “yet there are many issues which they face that hinder their growth potential.”

An FSB survey showed the key issues of concern to SMEs relate to tax (75% want the UK tax system to be simplified), the cost of going green (57% are keen to and believe it will bring cost savings), red tape (33% believe that is hindering the growth of their business) and broadband (63% are unhappy with the speed of their broadband connection and want to see accurate advice from service providers).