It’s encouraging to hear that the UK Federation of Small Businesses chair has taken the issue of late payments to Number 10 (Report, May 23).

I know this is a problem that the FSB has been campaigning on for some time now. However, I wish to address the comments around bank lending and the suggestion that banks have retreated from the small business market.

I’ve been hearing a lot lately from small businesses who are extremely concerned about rising energy prices and fuel costs. Not only that. They’re facing a storm of post-pandemic debt, a slowdown in consumer spending, inflation and difficulty hiring.

That coupled with persistent late payments could spell the end for many hardworking small businesses.

We need to unite as consumers to exert a collective conscience on to those larger companies, who are repeat offenders, to treat smaller suppliers fairly and pay without delay.

Otherwise the diverse and talented business community who form an important part of their supply chain will fail.

Hannah Bernard
Head of Business Banking, Barclays
London E14, UK