Growth hubs were set up in each of the 38 Local Enterprise Partnership areas across England and in Merseyside the hub is managed by Liverpool City Region LEP. Tony McDonough reports.

More than 4,000 small and medium-sized (SME) businesses in the Liverpool city region have created 850 new jobs thanks to the support of the Local Growth Hub.

Growth hubs were set up in each of the 38 Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) areas across England.

In Merseyside, the hub is managed by Liverpool City Region LEP and is delivered by a network of regional brokers.

These include Liverpool Vision, Halton Council, Knowsley Chamber of Commerce, The Women’s Organisation, Invest Sefton, St Helens Chamber and Wirral Chamber of Commerce, each offering face-to-face business support.

They increase awareness of the public and private sector support available to entrepreneurs, SMEs and high-growth companies by ensuring access is simpler, more joined up and easier for businesses to start up, expand and create more jobs.

Collectively the network has carried out a total of 2,136 business health checks and handled 6,000 individual business enquiries.

Liverpool city region has also allocated more than £68m to ERDF projects across the city region to support SMEs in three key strategic areas: Innovation, Business Growth and Low Carbon.

LEP managing director, Mark Basnett, said: “From day one, the Local Growth Hub has provided a support network to businesses across the Liverpool city region to support their  long-term business growth.

“Our priority is and will continue to be to simplify and co-ordinate the landscape of support services, providing companies with a single point of access.

“Each of our regional brokers are dedicated to encouraging businesses to thrive by ensuring they have the knowledge and support to benefit from both commercial advice and the various funded and subsidised initiatives available.”

The regional brokers have also referred more than 4,000 SMEs to Local Growth Hub business support programmes which include: New Markets 2, Enterprise Hub, LCR 4.0, Business Growth Programme, Health Enterprise Hub, Innovate 2 Succeed, Low Carbon Eco-lnnovatory, Manufacturing Growth Fund, Mersey Rural Leader Fund, Sensor City, St Helens Business Grants and the Merseyside Jobs and Growth Fund.

There are currently 50 partners engaged across the funding programmes.

To celebrate National Growth Hub Month, Local Growth Hub events will be taking place across the Liverpool City Region – visit www.localgrowthhub.com to find out more.