Businessman sends bill to Government department for wasting his time

You’ve been quangoed!

A fed-up businessman has turned the tables on a Government quango billing them for wasting his time.

Brian Little did the equivalent of three weeks’ work filling out forms to try to win a grant for his property company.

But when he was told he had been unsuccessful he hit back, and billed Business Gateway, set up to provide support to small firms, for £3,176.

Brian estimates he spent 120 hours going to meetings and producing a business plan after being encouraged to apply for a business- boosting grant.

He’s charged £25 an hour for his time plus £176 for expenses such as travel costs.

Brian, 57, filled out the applications after being encouraged by staff at Business Gateway’s Glasgow office.

He claims he was only told his company, Jenson & Jenson Lettings, was ineligible after he had gone through the application process.

By then Brian, from Houston, Renfrewshire, estimates he’d spent the equivalent of three working weeks going to meetings and preparing the paperwork needed.

“We’d never have followed up on either grant had they given us the proper info from day one,” he added.

Brian received a response from Glasgow City Council, which operates Business Gateway in the city.

It said invoices only related to goods, services or works “the council has instructed, commissioned or sought to purchase”. As such, they said his invoice was invalid.

In response, Brian requested the invoice be treated as a claim for compensation.

Stephen Bunce, chair of Beauhurst, which provides information on business funding to professionals, said: “The rules of grant eligibility are incredibly complicated.”

“It’s a waste of time for the grants people because they get lots of applications they reject and businesses waste a lot of time preparing them.”

A spokesman for the council said at no point was Brian given any assurance on the outcome of funding.

He said: “In our correspondence, we clearly set out our position of why we considered them ineligible for funding but did identify steps Jenson & Jenson could take to emphasise the element of their business which may be considered eligible. It was expected they’d work with their business adviser to develop this.

“We’ve been consistent in providing Business Gateway/Business Adviser support to Jenson & Jenson, who were supported in developing their Business Plan and two-year financial projections and participated in Business Gateway workshops.”