Liz Barclay is H.M.G.’s Small Business Commissioner.
Experienced business advocate and former journalist Liz Barclay heads up the government office tackling late payments to businesses.
Her appointment follows reforms to Prompt Payment Code and consultation on Commissioner’s powers to help stamp out poor payment practices.
Ms Barclay is the first woman to hold the office. The government announced the appointment of Liz Barclay as Small Business Commissioner to spearhead the national effort to crack down on delayed invoices – which cause thousands of small businesses to close every year.
Liz Barclay is the first female Small Business Commissioner, a post which was created in 2016 to help small businesses secure the payments owed to them and to galvanise UK businesses behind a new culture of prompt payment.
Over £23.4 billion is owed in outstanding invoices to UK businesses. Some businesses wait several months before paying their suppliers, severely impacting the bottom line of many small businesses.
Small businesses account for two-thirds of UK private sector employment and more than half of business turnover. Late payments damage their income, which can hold back investment or job creation and, in the worst cases, lead to job losses and business closures.
Action to help businesses and stop this damaging practice will remain a key priority as the government looks to support small businesses and build back better from the pandemic.
Liz Barclay says: We need a real culture change around business payments in the UK to take pressure off our phenomenal entrepreneurs. People who have already delivered goods and services have to be able to turn their attention to their next client and next order rather than chasing up late payments and worrying about their cashflow. I know from personal experience how damaging that can be to mental and emotional health. By working with businesses and ensuring their concerns are listened to I hope to be able to deliver a payment regime that keeps cash flowing and works for everyone.”
Liz Barclay is also one of the most recognised voices on British radio today with her common sense approach to money and finance during her years on “You and Yours”.
Liz is the author of Business the Duncan Bannatyne Way: 10 Secrets of the Rags to Riches Dragon – Capstone and Business the Philip Green Way: 10 Secrets of the Billionaire Retail Magnate – Capstone. She is Talk Radio’s business expert.
Liz Barclay was announced as a lay member of the NHS Equality and Diversity Council joining NHS Leaders, trades union and third sector representatives on the council, which was set up in August 2009 to champion improvement in equality and diversity performance throughout the NHS.
Liz Barclay is a Consumer Advice Columnist, Broadcaster, writer and author; and continues to present series for BBC Radio 4, which have included: –
- “The Job Clinic” – a Loftus Audio Production for Radio 4;
- “A Small Business” a Whistledown Production for Radio 4;
- “NHS Punters Fight Back” a BBC Radio 4 production and presenting
- “Pick of the Week”.
Liz moderates and chairs conferences in the UK and abroad. Liz is particularly well known for her conference and seminar moderation including: –
- the Environment Agency,
- the Call Centres Association,
- the Health and Safety @ Work Partnership;
- Citizens Advice;
- Consumer Financial Education Body,
- Customer Contact Association;
- The Environment Agency,
- European Agency for Safety and Health at Work,
- The Financial Services Agency;
- The Finance and Leasing Association;
- The Health and Safety Commission,
- The International Luxury Travel Market in Cannes;
- The International Union for Conservation of Nature – Barcelona and London;
- The Media Trust;
- The Money Advice Trust;
- OnePost;
- Oxford Community Action for Energy; Teleperformance;
- The Trading Standards Institute;
- Which? (Q&A session with the Prime Minister!);
- World Council of Credit Unions’ (WOCCU) – 2011 World Credit Union Conference and
- various small business organisations, PLCs and charities.
Liz writes for several monthly personal finance and small business magazines and wrote a personal finance column for the News of the World. She has presented You and Yours on BBC Radio 4 for ten years as well as ‘Call You & Yours’ and ‘Pick of the Week’
And if you need advice on managing your money; getting out of debt; the answer to whether there’s life after bankruptcy; or what happens when you lose your home – Liz Barclay runs her own web community at www.moneyagonyaunt.com Visit Liz Barclay’s website
Liz’s TV experience includes presenting three series of ‘Pound for Pound’ for BBC2 – a personal Finance programme dealing with every day personal finance issues; three series of ‘The Small Business Programme’ and ‘The Business Hour’ Learning Zone BBC2 – programmes for people who run small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) drawing on the experiences of other SMEs and a thirteen part series for Discovery Europe called ‘Talking Heads’ – on personal issues ranging from ‘Coping with Bereavement’ to ‘Lying’.
Liz Barclay’s Radio experience spans the airwaves in the UK with ‘In Business’ BBC Radio 4 covering weekly business issues. ‘You and Yours’ BBC Radio 4 – a daily programme covering social and consumer issues, ‘Work It Out’ for BBC Radio 5 Live on employment issues; ‘Nightcall’ and ‘After Hours’ for BBC Radio 5 Live – weekly late night discussion of social issues: – as well as Christmas specials BBC Radio 5 Live from Israel; Bosnia, Croatia and Serbia; Hong Kong. ‘Diana’s People’ – a 2 hour special on Diana Princess of Wales and her charity work and ‘Money Check’ – a BBC Radio 5 Live daily personal finance programme.
Liz is a successfully published author including: – ‘Employment Law for Small Businesses For Dummies’; ‘Your Rights In UK Law For Dummies’ and Green Living.
As a journalist Liz also writes on personal finance and small business including ‘Moneywise’, ‘The Mail’, ‘The Express’, ‘News of the World’, ‘Family Circle’ and BBC News Online Business website. Liz is also the author of several booklets for BBC including the ‘Beginner’s Guide to Investment’ for BBC2, money management and housing booklets for Radio 2, and ‘The Pound for Pound Money Guide’.
Liz Barclay was born and brought up in Northern Ireland. Her first job at the BBC was as a researcher/producer in the Continuing Education department. She began her working life as a money advisor and manager for the Citizens Advice Bureau service as a counsellor, adviser, tutor and manager of three bureaus and has a background in family, consumer and employment law, welfare benefits and money advice.