The government's business advisory service Business Link needs to be marketed better and have its remit drastically changed, the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants has said.

The ACCA attacked the way Business Link is run in response to the Department for Business, Enterprise, and Regulatory Reform's consultation exercise on simplifying business support for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Professor Robin Jarvis, head of ACCA's small business unit, said: 'Low awareness rates of Business Link's work, the lack of relevance to small businesses of support services and a complex and schizophrenic SME support structure is preventing business from getting the support they need and deserve.

'As the simplification programme develops, ACCA wants the Government to analyse carefully whether Business Link should continue to offer such specialist services which are currently more effectively provided by the private sector.'

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