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One-stop support for region’s businesses
Businesses can access a new support service from Hampshire Chamber of Commerce and partners, delivered as part of a successful £2.5 million Regional Growth Fund bid.
Hailed as a one-stop-shop, Solent Growth Hub will signpost companies and entrepreneurs in the Solent region towards grant funding, training and other support.
The service will offer access to national and local phone helplines and face-to-face advice, mentoring and coaching. Providers are also being sought for a dedicated online portal with a range of help including a toolkit of hub resources.
Hampshire Chamber is delivering the hub following a successful bid for funding from a consortium of partners led by the University of Portsmouth.
Denise Barlow, Hampshire Chamber’s head of projects, said: “It can be tricky to locate the most appropriate sources of business support, whether government or private sector. Solent Growth Hub will act as a central point for small businesses and others to find out everything they need to know about local and national schemes, signposting them to appropriate support and helping them to obtain direct advice.“
Alistair McDermott, director of Innovation Services at the University of Portsmouth, added: “In our region, Hampshire Chamber is ideally placed to deliver the service because of its extensive membership and links to other organisations.“
Other consortium members are Hampshire County Council, Portsmouth and Southampton city councils, Isle of Wight Council, University of Southampton, Southampton Solent University,
the Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS), and UK Trade & Investment.
Hampshire County Council’s executive member for economy, transport and environment Seán Woodward continued: “The landscape of support available for small businesses is complex, and the key objective of this service is to assist businesses in both better interpreting their needs and navigating their way through this landscape. If we can facilitate more business growth in the region, we can accelerate job creation and capitalise on the economy emerging from recession.“
Funding for the hub was unlocked as part of a bidding process that followed confirmation of the £950m City Deal agreed between government and the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in 2013. The £32m funding for the network of business support hubs nationally, developed as part of the city deals, is managed by Lancaster University on behalf of BIS.
Consolidating sources of business support into hubs or one-stop-shops was one of the recommendations put forward by Lord Heseltine in his ’No Stone Unturned’ report on how best to stimulate regional economies.
Hampshire Chamber will deliver the hub with input from the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Business Alliance (HIBA), a grouping of private sector support organisations.
As well as the Chamber, HIBA comprises the Hampshire and Isle of Wight offices of the British Marine Federation, the manufacturers’ organisation EEF, the Federation of Small Businesses, the Institute of Directors, the Isle of Wight Chamber of Commerce and the Southern Enterprise Alliance.
Solent LEP launches £2.46m fund for Isle of Wight enterprise
Businesses in the marine, maritime and advanced manufacturing sectors on the Isle of Wight are being urged to apply for grants from a new £2.46 million fund set up by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) in collaboration with the Isle of Wight council.
The Isle of Wight expansion fund, which is also open to firms specialising in composites engineering, is designed to help companies expand, start up new activities or diversify with the aim of creating or safeguarding jobs.
The fund was launched at an event that had to be relocated to a larger venue, the Quay Arts Centre in Newport, due to the scale of local interest.
Councillor Ian Stephens, leader of the Isle of Wight Council, said: “These sectors are of vital importance
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to the future of the Isle of Wight economy and this fund will drive growth, investment and job creation. The council has been working very closely with the Solent LEP in applying for the funding and is now keen to get on with delivering the scheme for local businesses.“
Gary Jeffries, chairman of the Solent LEP, said: “There are huge economic opportunities for the Island, especially in the areas of composites, marine, maritime and advanced manufacturing.
“These are areas with significant potential for growth where the Island has a long history of expertise. This fund is looking to capitalise on that knowledge base, support new projects, generate opportunities for employment and drive development of the Island’s economy.“
Barclays opens office for wealth and investment management
Barclays Wealth and Investment Management has announced the opening of its new office at Tagus House, Ocean Way, Southampton.
Local private bankers and wealth advisers will join the corporate banking relationship directors already based at this location to support local businesses, entrepreneurs and private clients in Hampshire, offering a full range of banking, investment and wealth advisory services.
Robert Jones, regional director for Barclays Wealth and Investment Management, said: “We are delighted to open a new office in Southampton to support our large number of clients in the region. We are well placed to advise across a wide range of circumstances – from entrepreneurs looking to take the next step with their business through to families seeking support with inheritance and succession planning.“
The decision to base a dedicated wealth and investment management team in Southampton reflects the area’s growing affluence. A report by Barclays in 2011 found that there are 287,000 millionaires in London and the South East, and this figure is set to rise by 35% by 2020.
Anthony Donohue, director, Solent and Dorset region, corporate banking, added: “Southampton and the Solent region is a fantastic place to do business. The decision to base a wealth and investment management team at Tagus House is an important one, as it provides an integrated approach for our clients and demonstrates our ongoing commitment to the local economy and wealth in the region.“
Details:
www.barclays.com
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – SOLENT & SOUTH CENTRAL – MARCH 2014
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