Lancashire’s Growth Hub to help create 3,000 jobs by 2018

Lancashire’s new-look Business Growth Hub has launched a campaign to create thousands of jobs and grow the county’s economy by £50m over the next two years.

The #GrowingLancashire campaign is being driven by Boost, Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub, after the organisation secured £7.8m to provide a range of services to the area’s companies.

Business leaders from across Lancashire have given the campaign their backing, including representatives of three Chambers of Commerce and business groups such as Growth Lancashire, Downtown Lancashire and the Federation of Small Business.

By 2018, #GrowingLancashire hopes to have assisted over 4,000 firms, created nearly 3,000 jobs and helped to establish almost 700 new businesses.

Enterprises supported by Boost are forecast to see their collective turnover increase by £50m.

Lancashire County Council Leader Jennifer Mein said: “We’ve got ambitious plans to grow the Lancashire economy, by providing companies with advice and support that’s tailored to their business.

“We want to create an environment where businesses find the right support, through robust and engaging partnerships, to match their ambition and plans for the future.”

She continued: “The first stage of Boost was extremely popular - supporting thousands of businesses, creating jobs and encouraging economic growth. Boost launched in 2013 and over 2,400 businesses in Lancashire accessed support through Boost up to 2015, helping create over 1,200 new jobs.

“This new campaign #GrowingLancashire will build on Boost’s original success, by providing a strong programme of support for Lancashire’s businesses.”

Nearly £4m of the Hub’s funding is from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with the rest coming from the county council, the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Deal and various private sector sources.

The chief executive of the North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce, Babs Murphy, commented: “This is an exceptional service to support Lancashire Business Community.

“It provides an access to a wealth of advice and information to help local businesses grow and develop. Boost is a great resource which helps businesses achieve results quickly.”

She added: “North and Western Lancashire Chamber of Commerce is committed to encouraging high growth and innovative businesses, increasing the areas international trade activity and job creation and we believe Boost is a vital contributory partner in achieving those aims.”