SME Magazine

Welsh pubs, restaurants, cafés, bars, licensed clubs, hotels, gyms, cinemas and other hospitality and leisure companies will get a 30% reduction in business rates next year. The Welsh government said the permanent support, introduced on 1 April 2027, will replace the temporary 15% relief for food and drink hospitality currently in place. It applies to […] The post Hospitality and leisure firms in Wales to get 30% cut in business rates appeared first on SME Magazine.

Prime minister Andy Burnham has promised a “culture shift” in how the UK does business ahead of meetings with entrepreneurs, big business bosses and local mayors in Downing Street. During meetings at Number 10 with the chief executives of firms including HSBC, Morrisons and Shell as well as the founders of businesses including Starling Bank, […] The post Burnham pledges to back entrepreneurs and calls for a ‘culture shift’ in how the UK does business appeared first on SME Magazine.

The South East Investment Fund is the latest regional scheme from the British Business Bank (BBB) to support businesses outside of London. The £210 million fund provides loans from £25,000 to £2 million and equity investments of up to £5 million to SMEs in Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Sussex, Surrey […] The post New £210 million investment fund for businesses in the South East of England appeared first on SME Magazine.

Chancellor John Healey delivered a speech on growth at the Manufacturing Technology Centre in Coventry on 7 September. Here’s the full transcript. Thank you for your welcome. Thank you to those of your staff here who have helped organise this event. As we were walking in here I said to Graham, what are you most […] The post Full transcript of John Healey’s growth speech appeared first on SME Magazine.

The government has promised that new reforms to corporate reporting regulations will save companies more than £450 million a year. Simpler paperwork for SMEs and exempting more businesses from audits will be introduced, the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade said. With average annual reports and accounts of some businesses running to 98,000 words, […] The post Ministers pledge to cut business paperwork that’s ‘longer than The Hobbit’ appeared first on SME Magazine.