Business Growth Service launched
Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub has been named a key partner for the UK Government’s new Business Growth Service.
The Growth Hub, supported by Warwickshire County Council and Coventry City Council, will work in partnership with the UK Government's Department for Business and Trade (DBT) on the new service, designed to help businesses find the support they need to start, grow and succeed.
The Business Growth Service helps businesses to access free, expert and impartial advice, including vital local support, through Growth Hubs across England. It will address feedback from businesses nationally that navigating business support can be difficult. Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub recently commissioned a survey amongst their clients in Warwickshire who shared the success from a range of support they have been able to connect with through the Growth Hub.
Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Economy & Skills, Cllr Rob Howard, said: “Warwickshire County Council, with the Department of Business and Trade, is proud to be among the main funders of the Coventry & Warwickshire Growth Hub. Many businesses throughout the region, their employees and the communities they serve, have benefited from, and been strengthened by, support from the Growth Hub and the new Business Growth Service will make it even easier and simpler for more businesses to access support.
“I would encourage any and all businesses to reach out to the Growth Hub for advice and guidance about access to the range of support offered by our partners across the region.”
Craig Humphrey, Chief Executive of Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub said: “We are thrilled to partner with the Business Growth Service and excited at the prospect of more seamless access to both local and national support for Coventry and Warwickshire businesses.
“This collaboration will help businesses find the right support when they need it most and we will continue to provide personalised support to local businesses, while being able to connect them with wider government resources through the new integrated system of the Business Growth Service.”
Meanwhile, Coventry and Warwickshire Growth Hub has been identified in a new report as a standout model for delivering high-impact business support. The independent evaluation, commissioned by the Growth Hub and carried out by the Enterprise Research Centre (ERC) at Warwick Business School, found that businesses supported through its account management system had seen significant boosts in jobs, revenue and productivity between 2020 and 2023.
The study included a roundtable of local businesses, who discussed how Growth Hub account managers helped them access the right support at the right time from grants and skills development to expanding their premises and buying new equipment. Key outcomes included 15% growth in employment, 13% rise in revenue and a 29% jump in productivity.
Professor Mark Hart, who led the research, described the Growth Hub’s hands-on approach as a vital lifeline in today’s fragmented business support environment.
“Business leaders praised the Growth Hub’s account managers for showing a deep understanding of their companies and getting to know them as people,” he said.
“Many said the growth they experienced wouldn’t have happened, or at least not at the same pace, without their support. The Coventry and Warwickshire model is one that deserves to be replicated nationally.
“We undertook this evaluation with academic rigour and real-world business input, and the results speak for themselves. This is evidence of what works when it comes to SME support, it is focused, and establishes long-term relationships that are built on trust and local knowledge.
“In an environment where public funding and national provision are increasingly changing, this kind of account-managed system offers a stable, responsive platform for growth. It’s not just effective, it’s essential.”