Thirty-nine growth hubs giving 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 announced on 14 May 2016 ahead of 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.
Increasing awareness of the public and private sector support available to entrepreneurs and smaller businesses, Growth Hub Week will run from 16 to 20 May 2016. The week will celebrate the completion of the growth hub network, which sees a live hub in each of the 39 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas, covering 100% of the business population in England. Growth Hub Week will raise the profile of growth hubs and the work they do to help local businesses start, grow and prosper.
Funding of up to £24m is being made available over the next 2 years for LEPs to continue to develop their growth hubs and provide local business support.
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) is encouraging everyone to show support for their local businesses by tweeting throughout the week using #GrowthHubs and backing their local growth hub. You can find your local growth hub by using the growth hub finder.
The ScaleUp Institute is a private sector-led organisation that is focused on closing the ‘scale-up gap’ by creating a supportive public and private sector ecosystem that enables scale up companies to fulfill their potential.
Business Minister Anna Soubry said:
“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.
“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.”
