This week the media giant BT will call on the Government to lift the barriers to starting a business at home as research shows a record 60% of start-ups are now run from the kitchen table or study. The list of demands includes financial incentives for home working, clearer tax rules and a more positive approach from councils to planning applications for work from home schemes. Seven out of 10 home workers chose to work from their place of residence because it created a better balance between work and leisure, while half said that home working reduced their overheads. The proposed changes were supported by Deborah Watson, who runs Scottish Linen, a fabric company, from her home in the western Highlands. She said working from home gave her business stability and allowed her to allocate time to household chores. A report last week suggested that a significant proportion of home businesses are run by people aged over 50. These so-called “senior start-ups” account for one in six fledgling companies and contribute ?24.4bn to the UK economy, according to the study by Kingston University’s Small Business Research Centre.

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