CHAMBER NEWS
Business support boost for Leicester and Leicestershire
Business owners across Leicester and Leicestershire now have access to an enhanced service through the Business Gateway Growth Hub, including a £1.4m pot of grant funding. The Business Gateway Growth
Hub service is backed by a newly- designed website, providing support and finance opportunities to businesses across the city and county. The Business Gateway has
provided intensive support to over 1,000 Leicester and Leicestershire enterprises and will continue to provide a variety of core services including tailored, one-to-one advice, a programme of presentations and workshops, finance opportunities and support programmes. Following successful bidding to the European Regional Development Fund, a further £3.9m has been secured to deliver an enhanced service for local companies; run in partnership between Leicester City Council, the Chamber, Leicestershire County Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP). This broader service means a
larger team of advisers offering free, impartial and commercially-
36 business network February 2020
focused advice and information. A new business growth grant is available to established SMEs trading business-to-business and looking to create jobs or develop new products/services. With support from a Growth Hub adviser, SMEs can apply for capital grants, ranging from £2,000 to £25,000, making up 35% of the total project cost.
‘Since its inception in 2014, the Business Gateway has been integral in supporting ambitious, forward- thinking SMEs across Leicester and Leicestershire’
Leicester City Mayor Sir Peter
Soulsby said: “Having met some businesses helped through Collaborate funding, I’ve seen the impact this support can have, and the benefits it brings to local people by creating jobs and improving working environments.” Diane Beresford, Deputy Chief Executive at the Chamber, said:
“Since its inception in 2014, the Business Gateway has been integral in supporting ambitious SMEs across Leicester and Leicestershire. This additional tranche of funding ensures more businesses can take advantage of an ever-increasing range of specialised services. “SMEs are the lifeblood of our
region’s economy - they create wealth and enhance communities. For businesses to be able to tap into fully-funded support and access finance for growth is not just a boost to them, but also the local area. I would strongly urge eligible businesses to join the 1,000+ SMEs that have already benefited from this constantly- evolving programme of support.” Councillor Trevor Pendleton,
cabinet member at Leicestershire County Council, added: “Ninety per cent of businesses in the county are SMEs with fewer than nine employees, which is why it’s so important we support this service and continue to establish Leicestershire as a great place to work and live. “We are making huge
investments, including upgrading digital infrastructure and investing in roads, homes and business
L-R: Altaf Ahmed, Business Support Manager; Russell Pacey, Senior Business Support Manager; Aruna Bhagwan, Business Adviser; Matt Bateman, Business Support Officer; Ian Evley, Business Adviser Manager
parks, alongside supporting programmes which offer business grants and advice. I hope to see many more Leicestershire businesses benefiting from the support available in the future.” Jon Egley, Growth Hub Manager,
said: “This is an exciting time for the Business Gateway as we begin delivery of more face-to-face business advice and open the business growth grants for applications. “We are proud to be serving the
diverse business community across our city and county. Our aim is to make business support and advice as accessible as possible and build support networks for businesses to benefit from peer-to-peer interaction. “We want to support our local
businesses to thrive and prosper, creating a strong business economy for Leicester and Leicestershire.”
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