Politicians' budget, says pie chief

Roger Topping of the Doncaster-based Topping Pie Company described it as "a budget for politicians".

He added: "It does not go far enough to help small businesses who continue to travel towards the light at the end of the tunnel but can't quite see it yet."

Over the past seven years, the Topping Pie Company's turnover has grown from 60,000 to 1.3m a year. The company employs 50 staff and its customers include Harrod's department store.

Mr Topping was concerned that there was no mention in the budget of a cut in National Insurance, at a time when many firms were struggling.

He added: "It's a tax on employment.

"The fuel surcharge is now going to be rolled out 1p at a time starting on April 1. SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) were hoping there would be no fuel duty, or at the very least it would be deferred until October.

"We welcome the reduction in business rates, but where is the detail?

"We start paying extra on fuel from April and maybe save a bit on business rates, but not until October."

He added: "The interesting one is the new UK Finance for Growth which will be set up with 500m to lend to SMEs and will steer SMEs through the form-filling process.

"Here's a radical idea. Why not cut through the red tape and bureaucracy?

"They could do this instead of setting up a new Government department with the majority of its time being spent in helping with form filling.

"There will be more help with training for under 24s who have been unemployed more than six months. But where is the help for people who we employ regardless of age?

"We have found training budgets have been cut in the last six months for people in employment – that funding has gone to those who are unemployed.

"In the current climate we believe a trained and motivated workforce is the way forward. Companies like ourselves have to find extra money to fund training for staff."