£1m boost for specialist help for businesses (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

£1m boost for specialist help for businesses

8:56am Wednesday 9th September 2009 in Business By Chris Holland

Around £1m of extra funding has been allocated over the next two years for a business support service that has already helped more than 700 businesses in the district.

The free professional advice service from Bradford Council’s Kickstart enterprise support programme has also widened its net to include more sectors.

Services provided under the scheme include accounting, book-keeping, HR, recruitment, legal services, branding, marketing, PR and website design.

In response to the recession and feedback from local companies, the range of services has recently been expanded to include specialist support on accessing finance, change management, e-commerce solutions and product development.

The Professional Services scheme is provided by around 30 locally-based expert suppliers who work in a variety of business sectors.

Organisations providing the professional support also benefit from the scheme as it introduces them to prospective new clients and creates new business opportunities, which is especially vital during the recession.

Businesses applying for professional services support are usually already in a relationship with a Kickstart business adviser. In this way the development needs of the business can be discussed and agreed prior to making the application.

Although many of the businesses supported are relatively new, all businesses are eligible to apply, provided they want to grow and create jobs within the district.

Bradford Council funds Professional Services to assist local companies and has already backed the scheme to the tune of more than £1m, with recent additional investment being agreed.

John Sims, who co-ordinates the scheme on behalf of Kickstart, says: “Professional Services has a direct impact on businesses, offering them intensive business development in whatever area they need it most.

“If Professional Services is appropriate to their business development needs, we can offer a choice of approved suppliers in the area of expertise that the business needs.”

For more information, call the Kickstart gateway on free phone 0800 9539503, or e-mail info@ bradfordkickstart.com.