New partnership to help support businesses and farm enterprises in Northumberland

The Northumberland Small Business Service has teamed up with Northumberland Business Service Limited (NBSL).

The new partnership offers micro-small sized businesses up to 12 hours of support with a technical specialist, covering a range of topics from resilience planning and new product development planning to digital marketing.

As part of the support from Northumberland Small Business Service, businesses may also be eligible for grant support to help their business grow.

With a record high of nearly 13,000 companies now registered in the county, the support is a welcomed addition to the business support landscape. The 1-2-1 support will see businesses safeguard jobs as well as create 100 jobs across Northumberland.

The Northumberland Small Business Service (NSBS), is delivered by Advance Northumberland delivering on behalf of Northumberland County Council. The project is partly funded by the North of Tyne Combined Authority Investment Fund and by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Rural England Prosperity Fund with the North of Tyne Combined Authority as the lead authority.

John King, head of operations at NBSL said: "We are delighted to be working with the NSBS team to bring this important support offer to the Northumberland business community.

"We would encourage local businesses to explore how this technical specialist programme can support them to achieve their growth plans."

Both Ashington based, NSBS and NBSL are excited to work together to support businesses as part of the NSBS growth and resilience strand of support, which is being delivered until March 2026.

The service also offers support for farm enterprises looking to diversify and individuals looking to start a business across Northumberland but predominantly in the rural areas.

The experienced team and its range of experts will work directly with individuals and businesses to help them start, grow, diversify, and sustain their businesses. There is also access to a £2million rural capital Grant Investment Fund which will support eligible businesses in rural areas with clear growth plans to access direct capital investment to expand productive capacity or diversify into new markets or products.