For the past three years, the government has been working to simplify the morass of government-sponsered business support schemes. The goal was to turn the incomprehensible 3,000 schemes into a manageable 100 that businesses could understand and use.
Today, the government announced the launch of the first 30 business support products. They've been rebranded under the single banner of Support for Business and can be accessed through Business Link.
The new and improved products are grouped under 7 main categories:
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Starting Up
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Finance and Grants
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Employing People
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Grow Your Business
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Exploit Your Ideas
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Environment & Efficiency
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International Trade
Simple enough, but the real question is whether they work.
Not all of the specific government-funded support is provided in each of the regions. Neither is the rebranding a guarantee that Business Link has improved the quality of its service or that real businesses can access the support they need easily and quickly.
If you are an EEF member and have tried successfully or otherwise to access these new products, get in touch. We want to make sure that you are getting the support you need.