Using data from both Companies House and the Office for National Statistics, business software specialist Inform Direct found there were 11,451 new enterprises set up in 2018. Tony McDonough reports

Merseyside saw more new business start-ups in 2018 than any other year in its history, new figures reveals.

Company secretarial software specialist, Inform Direct, used data from both Companies House and the Office for National Statistics to calculate that a number of new enterprises set up in Merseyside in 2018 was 11,451 – a rise of 3.9% on the 2017 figure.

This brings the total number of registered companies in Merseyside to 65,551, up from 63,781 at the end of 2017, which equates to 2.8% growth. Liverpool saw the highest number of business formations (5,334), followed by Wirral (2,198), Sefton (1,947), St Helens (1,046) and Knowsley (912).

Across the UK as a whole, a record number of new companies were formed – 669,855 compared with 634,116 in 2017. The number of registered companies in the UK also continued to grow, finishing the year with a total of 4,308,022.

John Korchak, director of operations at Inform Direct, said: “These record high figures for new company formations in Merseyside show a very positive picture for business against a background of political and economic uncertainty.

“It is clear that the county continues to provide a supportive environment, both for new business ventures and existing enterprises. It is heartening to see entrepreneurs making their mark with increasing numbers of new businesses being formed.

“This picture is mirrored elsewhere in the UK, with a number of regions seeing more new formations in 2018 than at any time in their history and the UK as a whole achieving a new record total of registered companies.”