Support and Advice for Businesses
Economic Development Framework September 2023
The Economic Development Framework sets out the aspirations of the Council and provides a framework that brings together all economic development activities that are occurring within the District and considers how they complement each other to maximise the benefits for our residents, businesses and visitors. The document is available in the download panel at the bottom of the page.
New business support in Blaby
Blaby District Council is pleased to announce that businesses across Blaby District now have access to a new, funded, business support programme, the Leicestershire Business Advice Service. The free support, from expert consultants Exemplas, will include everything from start-up workshops to accelerator programmes. One-to-one advice and more will be available to help businesses at all stages of their journey.
The service is a partnership between the seven District Councils in Leicestershire: Blaby District Council, Harborough District Council, Northwest Leicestershire District Council, Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, and Melton Borough Council. Each authority has funded the project through their allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Funding.
Exemplas is experienced in delivering business support programmes that help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) develop. The wider benefits encourage communities to thrive, and local economies grow. The service replaces previous EU-funded programmes which have now ended. The Leicestershire Business Advice Service will run until March 2025.
To register for any of the support above please follow the link:
Leicestershire Business Advice Service (exemplas.com)
Business Gateway Growth Hub
The Growth Hub is a single place to access business support across Leicester and Leicestershire. They offer free and impartial advice to help all local businesses, with a particular focus on those who are looking to grow and increase productivity.
Business newsletter
Our business newsletter is emailed regularly and packed with the latest business support information and news of events and workshops happening near you. Sign up to receive this newsletter:
Business Hub support request
Our Business Hub is on hand to offer dedicated help and support, especially as we move out of lock down and onto the road to recovery. Our friendly team is on hand and only a call or email away: if we don’t know the answer we promise to find out.
You can also get in touch by completing the online form below, or you can call Customer Services who will redirect you to a member of the team.
Health and wellbeing support
There are resources available to provide advice and information to help businesses, the self-employed and employees look after their health and wellbeing. Further details can be found in the website links panel below.
The Healthy Workplaces Leicestershire programme helps organisations of all sizes across the county to become healthier places to work.
The tailored programme has been designed in collaboration with, and for Leicestershire businesses, helping to ensure that the support that is most needed by the county's workforce is available to them and their organisations. Further information is in the website link in the panel below.
The Government's new online service offers free advice to employers, tailored to the needs of smaller businesses.
The guidance is for employers and managers and will help you support employees and understand any legal requirements. Further information is in the link in the panel below.
Starting up and owning a business can be both exciting and daunting, with lots of major decisions to make. Getting the right advice to guide you through this fundamental stage of development is key to the success of your business.
The external links below offer a start-up guide, as well as other useful forums which will help you to be well equipped for the launch of a new business venture.
Better Business for All is a local partnership between businesses and regulators aimed at removing barriers to growth and ensuring Leicester and Leicestershire are economically competitive areas.
The partnership gives your business a simple, single point of access to free advice on business regulations from those best placed to support you, the regulators themselves. They can provide answers to queries relating to food safety, health and safety, pollution, waste, licensing, taxation, trading standards and fire safety.
You can access this advice by calling 0871 384 3185. Lines are open from 9am-5pm Monday to Thursday and 9am-4.30pm on Fridays.
Complying with regulations can help your business provide a high and competitive standard of product that customers trust and help guard your business against liability. A good understanding of regulation can add value to your business.
As well as ourselves, the scheme is supported by:
- Leicestershire County Council
- Leicestershire Fire and Rescue
- Leicestershire Chamber of Commerce
- Federation of Small Businesses
- Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service
If you own a business and find that some employees are finding it difficult to get to work, Choose How You Move, from Leicestershire County Council, can support your business and employees in adopting active modes of travel to get to and from work.
Initiatives include a free E-bike Loan Scheme. More information can be found on the 'Choose How You Move' website link below.
- Business Gateway Growth Hub
- Federation of Small Businesses
- East Midlands Chamber
- Start up Guide
- Enterprise Clubs - help to become self-employed or start a business
- Leicestershire Rural Partnership
- NBV Enterprise Solutions
- Innovate UK
- Choose How You Move E-Bike Scheme
- Healthy at Home
- Support with employee health and disability
- Healthy Workplaces Leicestershire
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Economic Development Framework 2023 (3.3mb) Uploaded 9 November 2023
