Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, Boost, has been given another £3.2m to support the county's business community until June 2023.
Boost says the funding will allow it to support 800 businesses, create 880 jobs and support 100 startups. That could add £4m to the Lancashire economy over the 18-month period.
Boost began in July 2013 and has since helped to create 3,000 jobs and generated more than £100m in economic activity. It is led by Lancashire council and by Lancashire LEP.
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Some £1.3m of the new funding comes from the council, while £1.9m comes from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Boost offers services including business relationship management, growth mentoring, the Flying Start programme for startups and Boost Bespoke for ambitious growing businesses.
Cllr Aidy Riggott, cabinet member for economic development and growth at the council, said: “Boost is a vital part of Lancashire’s business support ecosystem and this was brought into focus as the Growth Hub supported thousands of business owners and leaders during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Lancashire County Council is delighted to continue our commitment to Boost which will mean Lancashire business owners and managers will be able to continue to access this vital funded service as they recover from the challenges of the past two years and focus on the future.
“Since it was established in 2013, Boost has evolved as the economy and the needs of the county’s business leaders have changed. This next phase of Boost will mean Lancashire business leaders will be able to access support on current emerging challenges and opportunities. These include changing international markets, the rise of remote working, the increasing focus on net zero and the need for resilience planning.”
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Andrew Leeming, programme manager at Boost said: “During the next phase of Boost we are keen to help Lancashire businesses that haven’t used our support yet.
“If you’re a business owner or entrepreneur looking to grow, develop your products or processes or you just need some support to tackle an issue you are facing, get in touch with Boost and we will make sure you get the right support.
“If you have used Boost before, we would love to have another conversation with you. As well as our own funded support programmes, we work with a wide range of support services across Lancashire. Whatever your challenge, we will be able to connect you to Lancashire’s brilliant business support ecosystem. It all starts with a conversation with Boost.”