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recent releases from Leicester Shire Development Agency, Business Link for Leicestershire and Business Link Lincolnshire & Rutland | 
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9 May 2002
NEWS RELEASE
PLAN TO SUPPORT LINCOLNSHIRE BUSINESS GETS GO AHEAD
The Government has given the green light to Business Link support for Lincolnshire and Rutland firms over the next year.
Business Link's plan for 2002-3 envisions a vibrant local economy with services that meet the needs of all businesses in Lincolnshire and Rutland.
The Government's Small Business Service officially approved the plan, developed with the help of customer representatives and partner organisations, last month (April).
As well as continuing support for established businesses, new plans include stimulating successful community enterprises, more start-up businesses and more young people choosing to become entrepreneurs.
Business Link Lincolnshire & Rutland aims to be "the first choice for business support" for firms with up to 250 employees.
The plan, which is publicly available on the Business Link web site at www.matrixbusinesslink.co.uk, was scrutinised by partner organisations such as Lincolnshire Learning and Skills Council as well as business people on the organisation's board and advisory groups before being put forward to Government. It will run until March 31 next year.
Chief executive Tina McEwen said: "Helping customers start, grow and succeed in business is our sole purpose. That means that we will work with and through partners and intermediaries to broker the best solutions for all our customers' needs. No problem is too small and no challenge is too large for us to do our utmost to help."
Mrs McEwen, who is also chief executive of Business Link for Leicestershire, believes Business Links have a significant role to play in driving up the region's GDP and realising emda's vision that the East Midlands will be one of Europe's top 20 regions by 2010.
"We are proud of our region and its physical and cultural diversity. We will work with partners to raise skills, increase business competitiveness and attack all forms of social and economic exclusion. We want to see a business community that includes more successful social and community enterprises, more start-up businesses surviving and thriving, and more young people recognising that entrepreneurship is a career of the future."
The plan pledges Business Link will meet its challenges by understanding and delivering the business support that customers need, from infant micro-businesses to large, well-established businesses. It will target businesses with growth and high growth potential, where it says its services can add greatest value. It also promises to increase the total number of new businesses it helps to start up.
An overview of Business Link services includes one-to-one adviser time, a telephone enquiry line, hard copy information provision, brokerage (referring customers to the most appropriate source of external help), networking/mentoring groups, seminars/workshops and interactive website development.
Business Link provides complete, tailor made solutions for businesses from start up to maturity to help people run better businesses and promises: "We may not be able to provide the solution ourselves but we will refer businesses on to appropriate providers and help them manage the process. Our focus is on working in partnership with other business service providers, rather than in competition with them."
There are specific programmes on 'cross-cutting' themes of social inclusion, workforce development and ICT development because of their significance to the regional economy.
On social inclusion, the plan says: "We will continue to promote a positive response, within and outside our own companies, to any group or individual excluded from society because of their age, gender, religion, ethnic background, disability or sexual orientation. We will ensure that ethnic minority businesses do not feel excluded from our services. We will continue to combat rural isolation and urban deprivation by targeting specific communities for support. We will work with emda and other partners to encourage the development of social and community enterprises in disadvantaged areas."
The business plan can be viewed on Business Link's website, which can be found at www.matrixbusinesslink.co.uk
Ends
For further Media Information
CONTACT Duncan Hopwood or Kate Downs on 0116 254 4472
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