Boosting Enterprise in More Deprived Communities – An Independent Review by Baroness Mone OBE

Following hot on the heels of the Self-Employment Review by Julie Deane published last month, another independent review on self-employment has been published.
Carried out by Baroness Mone OBE, herself a successful entrepreneur, the Boosting Enterprise in More Deprived Communities review looks at how enterprise opportunities and support can be boosted in the more deprived communities in the UK.
Following interviews and discussions with a wide range of SMEs, business support organisations, Local Enterprise Partnerships and banks, the review’s main findings and recommendations include:
• the value of seeking and having the support of a mentor
• improvements to the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA)
• how relationships between Start-Up Loans delivery partners and NEA providers can be improved
• the value of localised support and the need for more grow-on support following the 6 month NEA programme of support
• the incorporation of best practice in innovative enterprise education approaches by organisations such as UnLtd, The Premier League and The Aldridge Foundation
• the acknowledgement of the business support provided by banks in the creation of enterprise hubs such as RBS/NatWest’s Entrepreneurial Spark
A full copy of the report is available here.
Croydon Business Venture plays its own part in supporting individuals to start their own business and is already providing the localised support that is very much needed in the form of free 1-1 advice sessions, subsidised training courses and high quality and affordable office and meeting room hire. For further details of these services are available on this website.