Greater Government help for West Yorkshire businesses and more assistance for small and medium-sized firms have emerged as some of the main concerns for Bradford's private sector in a survey.

Grant Thornton, a financial and business adviser to owner-manager firms, asked companies in Bradford what they would ask Tony Blair to do to help their business.

Roland Clark, partner at Grant Thornton's Bradford office, said: "Some businesses say they want special help for manufacturing but most are saying they want the chance to compete on a level playing field without being hampered by red tape, unhelpful employment legislation, unfair competition and what they see as an unrealistic exchange rate."

The top ten issues from the nationwide survey will be debated at 34 Owners' Day conferences around the country on November 15, including one in Bradford.

The conferences will see a panel of high-profile entrepreneurs talk about their business experiences, and comes ahead of Thornton's report on the top 50 companies in Bradford to be published in the T&A in January.

For details of the Bradford event, call (01274) 734341.