Member Article

Support agency tops targets

Business Link has reported that it has exceeded its performance targets by helping almost 10,000 customers in the first three months of the financial year.

Between April and June, Business Link supported 9,177 established, start-up and pre-start customers, exceeding targets by 19% and serving an additional 7686 customers. Alastair MacColl, chief executive of Business and Enterprise North East (BE-NE), the organisation responsible for delivering Business Link services across the region, said: “It has been a very good start to the year and we are witnessing a continued increase in uptake of the Business Link service by businesses at all stages of their development.

“Our first quarter performance suggests that despite difficult credit conditions, increasing tax and rising energy and commodity prices, established and start up businesses in all sectors across the region remain confident in the future.

“We are working closely with an increasingly powerful network to make the North East of England the best region in Europe to start or grow a business. I am confident that we will continue to provide this service to a greater number of businesses into the next quarter and beyond.”

Ian Williams, One NorthEast’s Director for Business and Industry, said: “The Regional Economic Strategy highlights the importance of supporting businesses to drive economic growth and sets North East England some major challenges for creating new businesses and increasing productivity. Business Link is absolutely fundamental to meeting these challenges and these results demonstrate its strong progress so far this year.”

For further information about Business Link visit www.businesslink.gov.uk/northeast or call 0845 600 9 006.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .