A NEW outsourcing service to take the bookkeeping and day-to-day accounting burden off small businesses has been launched by Harrogate accountants and business advisers, David Smith Crosswaite (DSC).

The new service, which can also include elements such as VAT, payroll, SAGE consultancy and management accounts, aims to create a cost-effective means for small, growing businesses to off-load their financial administration and concentrate on business development.

It is being offered as a fixed-fee alternative "to the risks, costs and responsibility of employing an in-house bookkeeper with the benefits of broader services than are available from freelances," said Ian Lovatt, head of the outsourcing department.