Chancellor Rishi Sunak kicked-off his economic statement in the Commons by saying the government would do all it could to help prevent job losses in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Key points of the statement were: Government will pay £1,000 to businesses for each furloughed employee they bring...
Business confidence has bounced back stronger in the South West than any other part of the UK, according to a new survey – but many firms remain gloomy and one in 10 expects to stay closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The monthly Business Barometer from Lloyds Bank Commercial...
A coronavirus business bounce-back campaign to encourage UK food and drink producers to break into overseas markets is being spearheaded by the South West’s largest business organisation. Hampers full of British artisan food and drink are being sent all over the world as part of the Business West-led campaign,...
Bristol’s small businesses are being offered the chance to get free help to manage their finances in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic thanks to a new programme launched by West of England Mayor Tim Bowles. The accountancy support programme is being delivered in partnership with the Institute of...
The University of Bristol has appointed Professor Philip Taylor to the post of pro vice-chancellor for research and enterprise. Prof Taylor, pictured, will be responsible for shaping the university’s research and enterprise activity, ensuring it meets its strategic ambition to be a world-leading, research-intensive university making a positive contribution...
The UK’s first consumer-owned onshore wind farm project has been launched with support from renewable energy experts at Bristol-headquartered national law firm Burges Salmon. Ripple Energy has been giving individual households the power to combat climate change and to make living a low-carbon lifestyle easier through clean energy ownership...
Bristol science and tech hub Future Space has teamed up with city-based communications agency Purplefish to launch a programme of advice and support to businesses for businesses across the South West. The free, virtual advisory sessions have been helping firms based at the hub on UWE Bristol’s Frenchay campus...
Clean energy group Good Energy has taken effective control of Bristol-based Zap-Map, the popular app for the UK’s 300,000-strong electric vehicle (EV) drivers in which it bought a minority stake last year. Good Energy snapped up a 12.9% share in Zap-Map’s parent company Next Green Car in March last...
An online service promising impartial financial advice for Bristol firms on funding options has been launched by Business West, the region’s largest business organisation. According to Business West, which runs Bristol Chamber of Commerce, its Finance Hub will be free from confusing jargon or any hard sell, enabling businesses...
Business groups have cautiously backed the reduction of many coronavirus lockdown restrictions announced earlier this week by the Prime Minister. But they also warned that other measures to boost the economy were still needed to avoid widespread business failures and job losses. In a major boost to the West...
A surprise fall in the number of corporate insolvencies could herald the ‘calm before the storm’, the South West branch of insolvency and restructuring trade body R3 has warned. Figures published by the Insolvency Service show a 30% drop in companies going bust at the height of the coronavirus...
Unemployment has soared by 145% in the West of England since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to figures published today, with just nearly 40,000 people claiming jobless benefits. At the same time, around 22% of the region’s workforce – 132,600 people – have been furloughed while job...
Bristol’s We The Curious has joined more than 40 other science centres across the UK to call for emergency help from the government as they fight for survival during the lockdown. The Science Centres For Our Future campaign is being supported by some of the UK’s leading science advocates...
