The September members’ meeting was held at Market Harborough Building Society’s new Head Office at The Point Business. This is part of a fantastic new partnership between the Chamber and the Building Society, more about which can be found here. They are also now a Patron member, which we are truly delighted with.
The theme of the meeting was Support to Business, with specific information on local grants, recruitment support as well as more specialist support from one of our other Patrons, De Montfort University.
Market Harborough Building Society
The MHBS shared welcomed the new partnership with the Chamber, and in confidence, also shared an important forthcoming announcement that will be very welcome for many Market Harborough businesses. More to follow when we are able to share with their permission, Businesses will hear more over the coming weeks from the Building Society, and we will ensure we update you as soon as we can.
Harborough District Council – UKSPF Go Grants
Harborough District Council has local grants designed to help businesses in the district prosper and grow. If you’re looking to start or take your business to the next level, this could be the perfect opportunity to get the support you need.
Eligible businesses can now apply for grants of up to £2,000 to support a project that will enhance their business. A total of £46,000 is available through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to assist businesses across three key themes, which are:
- Go Green– Reduce your carbon footprint, increase energy efficiency, and lower fixed costs.
- Go Digital– Implement digital technology solutions to improve performance and expand access to customers.
- Go Innovate– Develop new products or methods to increase efficiency and drive business growth.
Important Eligibility Requirements:
To qualify for any of the grants, businesses must first participate in the Leicestershire Business Advice Service (LBAS) programme and upload an LBAS Action Plan as part of their application. If you haven’t yet joined LBAS, you can start by visiting here.
How to Apply:
Applications are submitted via the Grant Approval website. If you already have an account, simply log in and select ‘Harborough’ as your local authority, then search for the appropriate Go Grant Scheme. If you are new to the system, you will need to register an account.
Before applying, please ensure you have the following documents ready:
- Two quotes for the goods/services you intend to purchase with the grant (and your preferred supplier).
- A bank statement that matches the bank details for grant payment.
- Proof of trading.
- Your LBAS Action Plan.
Grants are available on a first come, first served basis, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible. The deadline for applications is Thursday, 31 October 2024, but funding may be allocated before then if all available funds are distributed.
Start your application today via www.grantapproval.co.uk
If you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to get in touch: business@harborough.gov.uk
Department for Work and Pensions (Jobcentre Plus) – Recruitment and other support for Businesses and Individuals
A summary of some of the support available was provided. This includes:
- Recruitment Support, fully funded and available to local businesses
- Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). SWAPs offer jobseekers across England and Scotland a six-week training programme, where they learn new skills, gain hands-on work experience and build their contacts in a new line of work. Whether it’s from aviation to care, or finance to logistics, every SWAP participant is guaranteed an interview at the end of their course for a live job vacancy.
- Support to businesses to set up work trials. Also to support individuals to experience a workplace before deciding if it is a good fit for both parties. This can be particularly valuable for those returning to the workplace having has a break, such as to raise a family.
- The Flexible Support Fund can support previously unemployed individuals with travel or other costs, to ensure for those without savings, a new job is not out of their reach. Support could include helping with travel or clothing/equipment costs prior to a new recruit’s first wages.
De Montfort University (DMU) – Training and Innovation support to local businesses
Bobby Chotai outlined some of the support available to businesses from DMU. These includes some well-known offers such as Degree Apprenticeships and Help to Grow Management. The latter being a course that DMU has successfully run locally to support local businesses, and that has been highly rated by business leaders in Market Harborough. Further information was supplied on Knowledge Transfer Partnerships, Cyber and Digital Security, Data Analysis and Processing.
DMU Offered a visit to their premises for Chamber members, and this opportunity will be shared over coming week.
Chamber Membership including Large Employers
A plea was put out by the President for members to help attract more members, including larger businesses. If the Chamber is to fulfil its remit in challenging business decision makers and regulators, it needs to increase its membership and especially from larger businesses locally.
Next Members Meeting – will be held on 30th October 2025 and will be an early evening meeting, with arrival from 5:30pm, with the main meeting starting at 6pm through until 7:30pm. More information can be found here.
