Coast & Country has received national-level praise after its Chief Executive, Iain Sim, pledged to look at measures to help entrepreneurial tenants get a business off the ground.

Most housing association residents have restrictions imposed in their tenancy agreements that forbid them from running a business in their properties.

Mr Sim believes in the current economic climate it is crucial that new policies are considered that allow people’s entrepreneurial ambitions to thrive.

The move by Coast & Country has been praised by the Federation of Small Businesses National Chairman.

Iain Sim said: “This is particularly pertinent in Coast & Country’s heartland, where there are 1,700 redundancies due the closure of Corus’s Teesside Cast Products plant with estimates of a further 4,000 indirect jobs being affected.

“The fallout from this will have severe implications for communities, which in some cases already have unemployment levels higher than the national average.

“It is imperative that the organisations like Coast & Country, as part of their Social Responsibility agendas, review their policies and see if changes can be made to help prevent joblessness escalating in their areas.”

John Wright, Federation of Small Businesses National Chairman, said: “Any measures that make it easier for people with ambitions to run their own business are to be welcomed.

“In the current economic climate, the importance to the UK of small businesses should not be underestimated.

“Those who have been made unemployed may have transferrable skills that can be put to good use in their own enterprise. Many deciding to go down this route start off launching a business from home.”

Mr Sim added: “Coast & Country will ensure that there are safeguards in place. We will not allow people to run businesses, such as car repair operations, which could have a detrimental impact on neighbours. But there are a number of businesses such as those offering secretarial or admin support to firms, buying and selling products or cake decorating, which people could easily run from their own homes without affecting people living in the surrounding area.”

Mr Sim points out that small businesses make a significant contribution to the UK economy.