Business: Greater London Mr. Burstow To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many new businesses were started in each London borough in the last 10 years; how many of them received Government funding; and if he will make a statement. Mr. Timms VAT registration data provide the only accurate indicator of the level of business start-up activity. The number of new VAT registrations in each London borough are shown as follows for 1997 to 2006. Data for registrations in 2007 will be available autumn 2008. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | |1997 |1998 |1999 |2000 |2001 |2002 |2003 |2004 |2005 |2006 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |London |35,825|37,690|36,210|36,330|33,400|32,955|35,750|35,320|34,875|34,825| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | | | | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Barking and Dagenham |280 |305 |340 |365 |320 |315 |345 |350 |330 |370 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Barnet |2,360 |2,350 |2,050 |2,075 |1,815 |1,740 |1,715 |1,700 |1,605 |1,490 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Bexley |655 |585 |565 |585 |620 |545 |580 |580 |535 |560 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Brent |1,205 |1,185 |1,135 |1,200 |1,085 |1,040 |1,175 |1,175 |1,105 |1,135 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Bromley |1,065 |1,140 |925 |940 |965 |965 |985 |1,015 |920 |1,015 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Camden |2,405 |2,405 |2,310 |2,245 |1,885 |1,880 |2,050 |1,985 |1,915 |1,925 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |City of London |1,075 |1,220 |1,290 |1,450 |1,110 |1,065 |1,100 |1,130 |1,385 |1,385 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Croydon |1,045 |1,070 |970 |970 |945 |975 |1,065 |965 |1,030 |960 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Ealing |1,240 |1,215 |1,175 |1,175 |1,150 |1,160 |1,315 |1,280 |1,250 |1,350 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Enfield |830 |875 |850 |895 |830 |860 |-895 |900 |840 |865 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Greenwich |560 |565 |520 |510 |495 |490 |515 |550 |575 |600 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Hackney |995 |1,130 |1,095 |1,155 |1,025 |1,020 |1,060 |980 |960 |990 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Hammersmith and Fulham |970 |1,135 |1,020 |1,010 |970 |930 |960 |1,065 |1,045 |1,000 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Haringey |930 |980 |975 |965 |880 |840 |915 |905 |850 |790 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Harrow |950 |1,065 |900 |960 |915 |935 |985 |970 |925 |835 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Havering |725 |765 |655 |655 |635 |630 |620 |625 |630 |635 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Hillingdon |905 |920 |835 |860 |765 |850 |855 |870 |845 |845 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Hounslow |795 |835 |820 |810 |810 |795 |840 |875 |875 |900 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Islington |1,520 |1,570 |1,415 |1,340 |1,180 |1,190 |1,270 |1,315 |1,370 |1,345 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Kensington and Chelsea |1,075 |1,115 |1,165 |1,200 |905 |1,065 |1,095 |1,170 |1,125 |1,205 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Kingston upon Thames |670 |695 |605 |640 |615 |595 |610 |640 |640 |585 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Lambeth |860 |905 |885 |840 |1,000 |850 |880 |990 |945 |985 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Lewisham |625 |660 |635 |615 |605 |590 |605 |660 |590 |635 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Merton |745 |830 |720 |765 |695 |655 |725 |705 |725 |830 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Newham |530 |580 |555 |565 |530 |565 |650 |620 |580 |620 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Redbridge |840 |930 |855 |870 |810 |755 |865 |830 |815 |830 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Richmond upon Thames |975 |1,010 |960 |955 |895 |1,000 |1,020 |945 |975 |1,000 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Southwark |1,005 |1,080 |1,015 |1,100 |940 |985 |1,080 |1,100 |1,135 |1,090 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Sutton |595 |600 |535 |510 |505 |495 |560 |525 |520 |525 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Tower Hamlets |975 |1,080 |1,100 |1,085 |920 |940 |1,055 |1,065 |1,295 |1,180 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Waltham Forest |685 |715 |725 |655 |630 |660 |685 |700 |685 |615 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Wandsworth |1,160 |1,210 |1,215 |1,170 |1,105 |1,105 |1,245 |1,380 |1,310 |1,370 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Westminster |4,570 |4,960 |5,390 |5,195 |4,840 |4,455 |5,430 |4,760 |4,545 |4,375 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |Source:Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2006, available at:http://www.stats.berr.gov.uk/ed/vat| | | | | | | | | | | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Although the number of new registrations has fluctuated over the period, the total number of VAT registered businesses in London has increased from 241,000 at the start of 1997 to 309,000 at the start of 2007, an increase of 68,000 (28 per cent.). VAT registrations do not capture all business activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which was £60,000 at the start of 2006. Only 1.9 million out of 4.5 million UK enterprises (43 per cent.) were registered for VAT at the start of 2006. Over the last 10 years a range of Government programmes have supported business start-ups in London. These programmes include the single regeneration budget programme, European structural funds, Business Link, LEGI and a range of other programmes supported by the LDA and BERR. Neither my Department nor the LDA, keep central records about the aggregate number of business start ups which have been supported by these programmes. Given the potential range of relevant programmes, the compilation of the information required to answer this question could be achieved only at disproportionate cost.