Small firms such as those putting the West of England in the vanguard of UK innovation still lack adequate access to finance, Business Secretary Vince Cable admitted yesterday on a visit to Bristol. He said he was determined to get the high street banks to lend more to businesses...
The blueprint for job creation and economic growth in Bristol and the West of England was unveiled this morning with a clear message to the Government – come and back our vision for success. The Strategic Economic Plan identifies the city-region’s key growth sectors and sets out 122 ways...
Buyout activity in the South West is growing at a “steady rate” with five deals worth £25m completed so far this year and a healthy pipeline waiting for completion, according to new research. The figures, published by the Centre for Management Buyout Research (CMBOR), show growth in completions across...
With another tax year about to end, businesses need to consider how they are treating expenditure on entertainment, both in their own tax workings and the annual employer returns to HMRC. Paul Bray, pictured, a tax partner in the Bristol office of accountancy and investment management group, Smith &...
One of Bristol city centre’s newest office buildings has been sold for the second time in just over two years – earning its owner a profit of nearly £3m and heralding a strong recovery in the city’s commercial property market. The Paragon, on the corner of Victoria Street and...
Lloyds Bank’s chief economist Trevor Williams will share his views on the prospects for Bristol’s economy with business leaders and students when he visits the city on Monday. Mr Williams, pictured, will address a business breakfast organised by ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales) at the...
55 Minutes the Chancellor took making his Budget speech today 5 It was Mr Obsorne’s fifth Budget since he became Chancellor in 2010 £2,000 The amount that working families will be able to claim to subsidise their childcare, announced yesterday ahead of the Budget £6.50 New rate for the...
Business West has called on Chancellor George Osborne to use today’s Budget to focus on youth employment, training and enterprise – all crucial to securing future growth and avoiding a ‘lost generation’ as the UK economy continues to recover, it says. In its 2014 Budget submission, the business support...
Directors in Bristol firms have less than two weeks to enter the region’s top business awards that recognise boardroom excellence and enterprise. The South West Institute of Directors (IoD) Awards 2014 are open to anyone working at director level in any type of business or organisation – they do...
The chairman of Bristol finance firm Clifton Asset Management has played the lead role in a unique collaboration launched this week between the UK’s main alternative business funders which aims to help small firms access funding. The web portal – alternativebusinessfunding.co.uk – is the result of a link-up between...
A fifty-six-year-old Bristol man is among 15 arrested across the country as part of an HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) investigation into a suspected £30m VAT fraud linked to the electronic communications industry. HMRC officers made the arrests during raids yesterday morning in nine cities across the UK, including...
Exports by West firms are growing again after going into reverse last autumn in the midst of the euro crisis, new figures show. Total overseas sales shot up by 7.5% to £13.67bn in the year to December 2013 compared to 2012. Exports by value had dropped by 3.3% in...
A wish list of measures to help the West’s mid-sized businesses – regarded as the secret success story of the region’s economy – has been drawn up to further boost their growth. Research by accountants Grant Thornton, which compiled the recommendations, shows mid-tier firms are strongly outperforming both smaller...
