New-look business growth hub launched in county

Leading figures from Lancashire's business community have joined Lancashire's new look Business Growth Hub to launch a campaign to grow the county's economy by £50m by 2018.
By The Newsroom
Published 8th Nov 2016, 13:17 BST
Updated 16th Nov 2016, 15:56 BST
L/R Andrew Leeming, Boost; John Regan, Lancaster Chamber; Babs Murphy, North and Western Lancashire Chamber; Paul Foster, FSB; Janet Doolan, Growth Lancashire; Leader of Lancashire County Council Jennifer Mein; Roger Jonas, Downtown Lancashire; and Mike Damms East Lancashire Chamber.L/R Andrew Leeming, Boost; John Regan, Lancaster Chamber; Babs Murphy, North and Western Lancashire Chamber; Paul Foster, FSB; Janet Doolan, Growth Lancashire; Leader of Lancashire County Council Jennifer Mein; Roger Jonas, Downtown Lancashire; and Mike Damms East Lancashire Chamber.
L/R Andrew Leeming, Boost; John Regan, Lancaster Chamber; Babs Murphy, North and Western Lancashire Chamber; Paul Foster, FSB; Janet Doolan, Growth Lancashire; Leader of Lancashire County Council Jennifer Mein; Roger Jonas, Downtown Lancashire; and Mike Damms East Lancashire Chamber.

The #GrowingLancashire campaign has been launched by Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub following the news earlier this year that the Hub has been awarded £7.8m to provide a range of services to Lancashire’s businesses.

Today Lancashire’s three chambers of commerce, business groups including Growth Lancashire, the Federation of Small Business and Downtown Lancashire gave the campaign their backing.

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#GrowingLancashire aims to advise and assist more than 4,000 businesses in the county, creating almost 3,000 jobs and helping to establish nearly 700 new businesses by 2018. Businesses supported by Boost are expected to see their turnover increase by a collective £50m – growing Lancashire’s economy.

Jennifer Mein, leader of Lancashire County Council, said: “We’ve got ambitious plans to grow the Lancashire economy, by providing companies with advice and support that’s tailored to their business. We want to create an environment where businesses find the right support, through robust and engaging partnerships, to match their ambition and plans for the future.

“The first stage of Boost was extremely popular – supporting thousands of businesses, creating jobs and encouraging economic growth. Boost launched in 2013 and over 2,400 businesses in Lancashire accessed support through Boost up to 2015, helping create over 1,200 new jobs.

“This new campaign #GrowingLancashire will build on Boost’s original success, by providing a strong programme of support for Lancashire’s businesses.” £3.8m of the funding comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with the rest coming from Lancashire County Council, the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership and private sector sources.

Related topics:Lancashire County Council