Business leaders at the Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber are celebrating after being awarded the franchise to help small businesses in the area.

They bid for the right to provide the new Small Business Service initiated by the government.

In March The Chamber, along with it partners presented its successful bid to a regional assessment panel in Birmingham.

Ministers want the SBS, which has a national budget of £100 million a year, to improve the quality and delivery of support programmes for small businesses.

The award will allow the Chamber to continue a wide range of services helping small firms in the area under the Business Link banner.

If the SBS franchise had not been won, these services could have been under threat.

The services will also be integrated with those aimed at small business from British Trade International and the local Learning and Skills Council, which will be created shortly.

Chamber chief executive Malcolm Gillespie said:

“We are obviously delighted. It is excellent news for businesses, in addition to ourselves, and our partners throughout Coventry and Warwickshire.”

Director of membership services Alan Durham added:

“Our aim is to help create more successful international businesses. In particular, we will be placing more emphasis on helping smaller companies to develop their capacity and ability to tackle overseas market.”

Government departments have been told to “think small first” when formulating policy, and to make sure that regulations are written in plain English.