Thirty-nine Growth Hubs offering 4.7 million businesses across England ready access to the support they need to start up, scale up and create more jobs are now launched, Business Minister Anna Soubry has announced at the start of Growth Hub Week.
Growth hubs work across the country with local and national, public and private sector partners – such as Chambers of Commerce; FSB; universities; Enterprise Zones, and banks, co-ordinating local business support and connecting businesses to the right help for their needs.
They are locally driven, locally owned and at the heart of the Government’s plan to ensure business support is simpler, more joined up and easier to access.
Business Minister Anna Soubry explained: “Small businesses are the beating heart of our economy and this government continues to build the right environment for them to thrive.
“We will keep cutting red tape and business taxes, improving access to finance and broadband, and taking forward the measures in the Enterprise Act to cement our position as the best place in Europe to do business.
You can find your local Growth Hub by using the growth hub finder, here.
“Growth Hubs have already helped thousands of businesses and, with the full network up and running, every registered business in England can access the expertise they need to succeed. They will help entrepreneurs boost their business and create more jobs for people in the local area.”
CEO of Scale-Up Institute, Irene Graham commented: “It has never been a better time for the public and private sectors to work together to support the growth needs of our fastest scaling businesses.
“The Scale-Up Institute is committed to helping [scale-up businesses] in their journey. That is why, in partnership with the Goldman Sachs Foundation and their 10,000 Small Businesses programme, we are pleased to be launching an extensive development programme to support growth hubs and LEPs in their crucial work.
“The first of these will be for three days in Birmingham from 17 May and will provide practical guidance and tools that will make a real difference to our high-growth scaling businesses.”
Funding of up to £24m is being made available over the next two years for LEPs to continue to develop their growth hubs and provide local business support.
Growth Hub Week
Growth Hub Week runs from May 16 – 20, 2016, with the aim of increasing awareness of the public and private sector support available to entrepreneurs and smaller businesses.
The week will celebrate the completion of the Growth Bub network, which sees a live hub in each of the 39 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas, covering 100% of the business population in England.