Shadow enterprise minister Mark Prisk has said that if the Conservatives are elected they will shut down Business Link.

The advisory service employs 1,500 staff at a cost of £190m per year and has recently come in for criticism.

"We believe that Business Link is failing in its task. Many surveys show that only a small proportion of businesses use it, and those that do are dissatisfied with the service they receive," said Mr Prisk.

Commenting on Business Link, Stephen Alambritis of the Federation of Small Businesses says that although Business Link has improved, it still has "a long way to go".

To replace the organisation, Prisk proposes that the wide range of already existing regional business and enterprise organisations - which have a considerable overlap with Business Link - take over its responsibilities.