§ Mrs. HumbleTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in Blackpool, North and Fleetwood since 1997. [175883]
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§ Nigel GriffithsBarclays Bank's latest survey of business creation includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in the last quarter of 2003, including 500 business start-ups in Blackpool Unitary Authority (which includes part of the Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency). Data are not available for the Wyre local authority that includes the rest of Blackpool, North and Fleetwood Constituency. In the last quarter of 2003 there were 2,600 business start-ups in the County of Lancashire (which includes the Wyre local authority) excluding Blackpool Unitary Authority.
The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. In 2003 there were 1,700 business start-ups in Blackpool Unitary Authority (which includes part of the Blackpool, North and Fleetwood constituency). Data are not available for the Wyre local authority that includes the rest of Blackpool, North and Fleetwood Constituency. In 2003 there were 10,200 business start-ups in the County of Lancashire (which includes the Wyre local authority) excluding Blackpool Unitary Authority.
DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Blackpool Unitary authority and Wyre local authority (for which Blackpool, North and Fleetwood is a constituency) are shown in the following table for the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.
VAT registrations: 1997 to 2002 Blackpool Wyre 1997 340 260 1998 325 300 1999 310 240 2000 315 240 2001 300 245 2002 265 265 Source: Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service www.sbs.gov.uk/statistics/vatstats.php VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.