How many times do we hear that the recovery will be led by small and medium-sized firms? And how many councils have in place measures to increase the number of SMEs on their patch? Of course the problem, as with all these things, is that the rate of enterprise creation is very different depending on where you go. New businesses are most often found in areas already well on the road to recovery while parts of the country that are still in deep, swampy recession, tend to see some of the lowest rates of new-start-ups or small businesses seeking to grow. There are exceptions - like Warrington in the North West, which has created an exceptional environment for new businesses - but for every Warrington there are scores of other places where enterprise appears thin on the ground.
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