Small businesses helped to grow by council grants

Small businesses across the county have benefited from £437,736 worth of funding for projects helping them to grow.

Warwickshire County Council has so far awarded the grants to 21 firms following the announcement last October of £1 million available to small businesses over three years.

The grants, worth £5,000 to £35,000, have been awarded to a wide range of small businesses for capital assets such as buildings, plant, machinery and equipment.

Businesses funded include canal boat and repair company Lime Farm Services, based at Cathiron, just outside Rugby, for whom the grant has proved "pivotal" to their expansion, according to co-owner John Brady.

The award of £16,800 (with match funding of £25,200 from the business) for a new dry dock will enable Lime Farm Services to serve customers much more quickly and at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience.

"The new dry dock means we don't have to bring in a mobile crane which is both expensive and unreliable," said Mr Brady. "It often takes a crane a week to arrive, then we use it for a week, then it takes another week for it to be taken away. Removing those delays is a huge help.

"The grant means we will have the dry dock probably 18 months ahead of schedule. That means that other things can also be brought forward so it has been great for us."

Projects funded in the north of the county include Arrowsmith Engineering of Bayton Road, Exhall, which has been awarded £15,480 (with £23,220 match funding from the business).

The grant will go towards a new metal degreasing plant to help deliver products to customers in the aerospace and automotive sectors.

Jason Aldridge, managing director of Arrowsmith Engineering, said: "We are a very specialist company and a change in a lot of regulations which meant we had to purchase a lot of new machinery. 

"It was a major project but the grant allowed us to complete it quickly in a way which meant that we could maintain existing customers and also attract new ones.

"The funding has made a big impact on us because it has allowed us to grow the business."

Ag-Con (UK) Ltd, based in Shipston-on-Stour, received a grant of £11,306 (with match funding of £16,958 from the business).

Claire Plant, a director of the company, which supplies agricultural and construction equipment, said the funding was hugely helpful - and refreshingly easy to access.

"The grant was spent on equipment which enabled us to bring a lot more work in-house, meaning we can offer more bespoke solutions to customers. We have also taken on a full-time employee directly due to the grant.

"The funding has been brilliant for us and was really simple to access. People can be put off applying for grants because they think it must be really complex but that wasn't the case. Of course you have to provide a plan - nobody's just going to give you cash! But it was really straightforward."

The funding is designed to help businesses access capital investment that will help them diversify or modernise their operations, leading to increased turnover and job creation or protection. The grant can be up to 40% of the total costs.

It has been directed towards small enterprises (fewer than 50 employees) primarily in the following sectors identified as key growth areas for the local economy:

• manufacturing/ advanced engineering
• automotive
• intelligent transport systems
• IT services/ digital media and creative industries
• low carbon technologies
• business and professional services

For more information and to check the eligibility of a project please visit: http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/businessgrants or contact Warwickshire County Council’s Economy and Skills Group on Tel: 01926 412709.