A POCKLINGTON business consultancy has been approved by the Government to set up a "compare and help" programme for enterprises throughout the North.

Equas Cost Management Solutions, whose head office is in Percy Road, Pocklington, has become the first independent consultancy in the North to be accredited as a specialist business adviser for the new Small Business Service (SBS) Benchmarking Index.

The four-year-old Benchmar-king programme is backed by the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department of Education and Employment together with the Confederation of British Industry, the Institute of Directors, the TUC and a host of independent trade bodies.

It aims to help companies to improve competitiveness by measuring their performance against their anonymous competition over some 80 business functions covering key financial, management and business excellence measures.

Equas Management Services was launched only last year by seven partners with more than 130 years combined senior management experience in manufacturing, purchasing, sales and marketing, yet now 150 clients later also has regional offices in Harrogate, Bridlington, Wakefield, Bradford and Doncaster.

The team helps national and multi-national companies to maximise profits through a range of business performance enhancing services such

as cost management,

training and benchmarking.

Mike Dowd, one of the Equas partners, said: "Benchmar-king is critical to business success. Without a clear understanding of how you are performing, you are unlikely to close the gap on your competitors and achieve your real profit potential."

More than 56,000 benchmarked companies in the UK and Europe comprise the secure Internet database against which other businesses are assessed, and Equas will now be helping more of Yorkshire businesses to use the Index to identify how they can catch up with their competitors.

As the regional statistics build up, firms will be able to compare their performance not only against others in their sector, but those affected by regional factors too.

For more information on The Benchmark Index phone 01295 812200