A NEW lean business Link South East has been relaunched after its budget was slashed by £7.2m.

This mammoth cut sees the organisation’s annual funds plummet from £25.3m to £18.1m.

To cope with this reduction the service, funded by the South East England Development Agency (Seeda), is going to focus its efforts on start-up companies and growing businesses.

Boss Graeme Sibley said no business would be cut off but the kind of support available would change.

He said: “These funding cuts are part of a raft of savings the Government are trying to make and I think every accepts that we are operating in difficult times. We have had to focus our reduced resources on the areas we feel will be most effective but we will still offer telephone and Internet supports to all small and medium sized businesses.

“No companies will be cut off, but there is no getting around the fact it is a reduction in service. To many businesses it will be a change in habit as to how they access our advice.”

He went on to say efforts to improve the already comprehensive website and develop the level of phone support were being made to plug the gap for “steady-state” companies who are used to intensive one on one support.

The face-to-face consultations will now be for growth companies and workshops will continue to run for new firms. Business Link South East deals with 143,000 businesses a month via its online support and newsletter.