BCC: 'Give us a bigger and bolder lender' Adam Marshall, the policy director of the BCC, said the business group wants to ensure a "once in a generation chance to change business finance is not missed." It's great that the Government has taken on board the principle and is putting cash behind it but we're concerned the commitment isn't really there yet. We want the Government to think bigger and bolder and see a [state business bank] on the scale of the ones you see in Canada, Germany and the US - a vital springboard for growing businesses. A source familiar with the development of the institution said there is nervousness within Whitehall that the plans will mean state exposure to risky loans and letting banks "off the hook" in terms of lending to small businesses. However, Mr Cable dismissed the notion that there is any political tension over his Business Bank plans. He also rejected a suggestion that it will simply bring together existing small business finance and advice schemes. He insisted the bank "is on schedule" and the Business Department is working "closely and constructively" with the Treasury. This is an institution that will be here for the long-term so it's important to get it right. We want to help companies access the finance they need to grow, as a chronic lack of credit is strangling growth. More details will be unveiled in the Budget in March, he added. The bank will be an addition to the wide range of measures already helping small and medium sized businesses to grow such as the Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme, the Funding for Lending Scheme and the Business Finance Partnership. Mr Cable has indicated the institution may act to stimulate alternative lenders, possibly by providing cheap wholesale finance for so called 'challenger banks' and new non-bank finance platforms. He said the bank will be "operational by the summer of 2014." Mr Marshall said a state business bank should go further than providing a wholesale boost to alternative lenders and must "fill the gap for patient capital." We want it to have a direct lending relationship with businesses in some cases - I'm not suggesting a branch on every high street, but it needs to enter into contracts of its own volition, have its own credit assessment capabilities and take bold investment decisions. An advisory group, chaired by former Bank of Scotland chief executive Sir Peter Burt, is currently considering the remit of the Business Bank.