A sum exceeding £1.5 million has been secured for small enterprises.

The Office of the Small Business Commissioner assisted businesses in retrieving this money via its inquiry service for situations where payment disagreements with bigger clients remained unsettled.

The OSBC operates on a £1.23 million allocation provided by the Department of Business and Trade, concentrating its efforts on addressing tardy payments and substandard payment behaviour within the commercial sector.

Emma Jones, the Small Business Commissioner, stated that the organisation aims to reduce the significant amount of time small companies dedicate to pursuing outstanding debts. She noted that the prevailing circumstances are constraining their ability to concentrate on expansion, and that improving this situation remains a priority. She expressed satisfaction with her team’s achievements in ensuring businesses received money they were owed, adding that the 2025-26 fiscal year proved to be the most successful period to date. She emphasised that timely and equitable remittance ought to be standard practice and that she would persist in collaborating with authorities on their pledge to combat payment delays.

One of the businesses receiving assistance was Duplikat Ltd, which had been awaiting settlement for an order completed for a football club. A representative from Duplikat Ltd explained that they faced difficulties with a delayed remittance and had endured months of disregarded electronic correspondence from a major customer. Upon reaching out to the Small Business Commissioner, the assigned caseworker demonstrated exceptional attentiveness and lucidity, maintaining clear communication throughout the process. On the very day the caseworker reached out to the customer, they sent an apology via email, and payment arrived shortly thereafter.

During the 2025-26 period, the OSBC retrieved a greater sum than both its designated funding and expenditure, marking the most substantial total recouped throughout the preceding five-year span.

This development follows a recent ministerial declaration unveiling a series of initiatives to combat payment delays, encompassing enhanced authorities for the Small Business Commissioner.

These reforms intend to establish the United Kingdom with the most robust late payment legislation among G7 nations.