Coventry City Council unveils new business support scheme to help small firms recovery
As England’s businesses emerge from an incredibly tough 18 months of trading conditions, Coventry City Council is stepping in with a lifeline for the area’s small firms and self-employed businesses. A new scheme launched this week will help support the City’s independent businesses to navigate the various ongoing economic, employment, legal and mental health challenges.
The Council has teamed up with the Federation of Small Businesses to offer a 1 year package of support to businesses with 50 or fewer employees that have not been members of the FSB in the previous 12 months.
Essential advice and guidance on areas such as legal and tax issues, employment legislation, cyber protection and insurance, free business banking and debt recovery services are all available through the free membership with FSB.
The membership offering adds to the package of support provided by the Council and Government in response to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Cllr Jim O’Boyle, cabinet member for jobs, regeneration and climate change said, “Small businesses, including the self-employed, play a vital role in the success of our economy and they employ lots of local people.
“The last year has been tough for lots of businesses but by offering free membership to the FSB they will be able to access a full range of business support to ensure they not only survive, but also thrive in the future.
“The FSB does great work to support small businesses and they are set up to respond quickly. Joining is a simple process and I urge anyone that employs 50 or fewer people to get signed up so they can start receiving free advice and support.”
Lee Osborne, FSB’s Development Manager for Coventry and Warwickshire said: “FSB is delighted to be working with Coventry City Council on this crucial initiative to get robust, on-the-ground and immediate business support to local small businesses and the self-employed across Coventry.
This has been an incredibly tough period for small firms and there are further challenges on the horizon. SMEs in our area are still dealing with the economic hit of lockdown as well as various staffing issues, rising costs and supply chain issues. Many will need support to not only survive these challenges but to go on to revive and then thrive.
We want to do all we can to help practically support the independent firms and sole traders to get through this and it’s fantastic that Coventry City Council has opted to work with us and really power up their support. Together we can give local firms valuable, instant access to every business support service any business could need at this time. I am looking forward to helping the council to roll out this offer and to supporting more businesses across Coventry to weather this crisis.”
Once Coventry businesses take up the free membership, they can access the full package of business support which will help firms across the UK to plan their recovery, manage their HR issues and get to grips with their legal obligations.
Councils across the UK have been partnering with FSB to offer this discounted membership following a surge in demand for the FSB’s comprehensive support.
FSB has been supporting small businesses and the self-employed since 1974 and since the outbreak of the coronavirus crisis has lobbied hard for fair support for the UK’s vital small business community.
To apply for the membership, go to www.coventry.gov.uk/fsb to register your details
