Piggyback to Success

Six of Britain’s top entrepreneurs have offered to help small companies build their business proposals about better value services to a government ‘Dragons’ Den’-styled panel.

The entrepreneurs will coach representatives from small and medium-sized enterprises that have submitted successful ideas for innovative and cost-saving government goods and services to the recently launched online Innovation Launch Pad.

The mentors will include Jon Moulton, founder and managing director of private equity firm Better Capital, and Mike Lynch, co-founder of software start-up Autonomy. SMEs from every industry are invited to submit a 500 word proposal on how their goods and services could help save the government money or deliver better outcomes. Civil servants will vote for the ideas judged to have the greatest potential. The chosen business representatives will then present their ideas to a panel of senior government business officials, following coaching by the entrepreneurs.

Minister for the Cabinet Office Francis Maude says, ‘We want to make it easy for small businesses to tell us their ideas, as they will have a vital role to play in helping us to find new, innovative and more cost effective ways to improve services to the public.’

APA

Not-so-smart Phone

With their expensive taste in gadgets, iPhone users may appear to have ample disposable income, but almost one in five owners of the must-have phone admit that their main bank account is always overdrawn.

This is around double the national average, with one in ten Britons admitting to being constantly in the red. In comparison, 54 per cent of those who own a phone that uses the rival Android operating system and half of BlackBerry owners say they are never overdrawn.

The figures were revealed in a survey that found financial status and salary can be linked to what type of smartphone you use. Those who use an Android or BlackBerry are also more likely to earn more than those with an iPhone.

The YouGov poll found that 10 per cent of BlackBerry owners earned more than £50,000 a year, but only 5 per cent of iPhone users reached this salary bracket.50 per cent of iPhone users earn less than £20,000 a year, compared with 38 per cent who own a BlackBerry and 27 per cent of Android users.

The Android has overtaken the iPhone as Britain’s most popular smartphone with 28 per cent of those polled owning a device powered by Android, compared with Apple’s 26 per cent. Only 14 per cent of the 2,000 people questioned said they used a BlackBerry.

Anne Droid, APA

Women will be biggest winners with new flat-rate payment

A new flat-rate pension is expected to be worth at least £155 a week for each individual, it emerged this week and Ministers will soon press ahead with proposals for the most radical reform of the state pension system since its inception.

The new system will provide a guaranteed level of support greater than the amount people currently get through the basic state pension and means-tested pension credit. Women, who often do not receive a full state pension as a result of taking time out of work to look after children, will be the biggest winners as a result of the flat-rate payment.

But it will only be available to people reaching the state pension age from now, rather than existing pensioners. It had been expected that it would be about £140, but because it will not come into effect until 2015 or 2016, inflation will push the figure up.

The current full state pension is £97.65 a week for an individual, but is topped up to ensure a minimum income of £132.60. For a couple, the full state pension is £156.15 or at least £202.40 when pension credit is added. This will also rise under the new system.

APA

Death of a business legend

Business legend Edward Stobart, whose trucking empire is so famous it has a 25,000-strong fan base, has died aged 56.The Cumbria-based business was started by his father named Eddie; who out lives him.

But it was Edward who saw it grow from a fertiliser delivery firm into one of the biggest haulage companies in the country, employing more than 5,000 workers and running 2,250 distinctive trucks and creating such a distinctive brand that it is known worldwide.

Mr Stobart sold the company to his brother William and his business partner Andrew Tinkler in 2004 and had since dabbled in other business ventures.

Last night Theo de Pencier, Chief Executive of the Freight Transport Association, said: “The haulage industry owes him a debt of gratitude for the way he brought a personal and human touch to the sector and helped earn public respect." APA also salutes his achievements.

APA