Audit Scotland‘s latest report reveals that detailed analysis of how Covid-19 business support funding was distributed during the pandemic is not possible due to gaps in data. The Scottish Government provided about £4.4 billion of grants and non-domestic rate reliefs between March 2020 and October 2021, mostly paid out to Read more…
In Scotland, we’re all too familiar with tighter restrictions than England in light of Covid. Yesterday, nightclubs re-opened, still with Covid passports or negative LFD tests and face masks required. Sports and indoor leisure facilities, live events and many other sectors have had restrictions lifted with the same requirements. The Read more…
The Help to Grow programme was announced by the Chancellor at the recent Budget and is a practical management training programme delivered by world-class business schools, accredited by the Small Business Charter. The aim is for the 35 UK schools with Small Business Charter status to run 320 Help to Read more…
The Recovery Loan Scheme, a new scheme to support access to finance for UK businesses as they recover and grow following the pandemic has now opened for applications. The scheme, announced at the Budget on 3 March 2021, is scheduled to run until 31 December 2021, subject to review. The Read more…
The SME Brexit Support Fund provided by HRMC gives SMEs up to £2,000 to help with training or professional advice, if your business has up to 500 employees and no more than £100 million annual turnover. You can use the grant for training on: how to complete customs declarations. how Read more…
The latest statistics published by Scottish Enterprise reveal that in 2020, there were 361,875 SMEs providing 1.2 million jobs. Their Economic Trends report covering November 2020 to January 2021 revealed that 40% of businesses (survey total 171 businesses) think that the Scottish economy will weaken over the next 6 months Read more…
The ONS has just released the latest publication of weighted Scotland estimates and findings for Scottish businesses with 10 + employees. The ONS’ BICS is a voluntary fortnightly business survey, which captures businesses’ responses on how their turnover, workforce, prices, trade and business resilience have been affected by current conditions, Read more…
The Scottish Government’s chief economist has warned that Scotland’s economy may not return to pre-pandemic levels until the start of 2023. It was widely reported last week that Scotland could have the worst performing economy in the developed world following COVID-19. The most recent economic figures revealed that GDP fell Read more…
Small businesses will benefit from a new fast-track finance scheme providing loans with a 100% government-backed guarantee for lenders, the Chancellor announced today Monday 27th April. Businesses will be able to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000 and access the cash within days. Loans will be interest free, with no fees Read more…
A key aspect of the CBILS is its interplay with the EIS tax relief rules. The British Business Bank is a development bank wholly owned by HM Government and, accordingly, the CBILS would likely fall within the rules on state aid. It follows from EU case law that the very Read more…
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