Business Support

At Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils, we recognise the diversity of business types in our area and provide multiple approaches to support them. Whether you’re a start-up or an established business, we make it easy to find the help you need to boost productivity, profitability, and resilience.

Business Support

The Growth Hub – A One Stop Shop For Support And Advice

Whether you are an established business or considering starting a businesses in Babergh and Mid Suffolk the best place to get advice is the New Anglia Growth Hub. You can fill out the form to make contact or call them on 0300 333 6536. The Growth Hub advisors can point you to available support programmes and funding opportunities. As advisors they are also able to help you develop plans for your business, connect you to networks, funding and training opportunities.

If are about to establish a business or you started within the last 12 months you can get support designed for the needs of startups at the Startup Support page.

You can also find government advice and support for starting, growing or exporting your business at the Help to Grow website. This site will help with setting up a business, growing a business and starting to trade internationally.

If you are growing rapidly you might also consider applying for the high growth network programme. After 12 weeks you will have an action plan tailored to help grow your business over the coming 12 months. You will also have built a cohort of relationships within other rapidly growing companies.

Of course, other types of support can be hugely beneficial. We work closely with partner organisations and providers of skills training – fantastic for upskilling not only your existing staff but also your supply chain.

Financial Support

In addition to advice and resources, we offer financial support through grant funding programmes such as:

• Rural England Prosperity Fund: Designed to improve productivity and strengthen the rural economy and communities

Visit the grant and funding page to learn more about the grants that are available.

If you are considering decarbonising your business consider the free consultancy available from Groundwork East to develop a plan tailored for your business. This is often the starting point before an application is made to identify the most effective interventions for your business which can then be supported by a grant.

Innovation

We are also offering a fully funded business accelerator program in partnership with the University of Essex, Innovate to Elevate. In this programme you will work in partnership with professors and research assistants to develop your ideas to grow your business.

Creative Industry Business Support

If you are in a creative business, you can apply for the Creative East – Create Growth Programme and there is also StartEast, a resource for creative people.

Learn about this programme and more on our dedicated page for creative industry support.

Net Zero Business Support

There is lots of Net Zero Business Support available too, aside from our grant funding. Find out how to Become Carbon Charter accredited through the Carbon Charter website, and learn about support offered by Green Suffolk and Groundwork. The UK Business Climate Hub is a collaboration between the UK Government, businesses and business groups across the UK. The Hub is the UK partner of the SME Climate Hub, the global initiative which empowers small and medium-sized enterprises to take climate action.

This section of the website aims to give you a greater understanding of how we support business in the Heart of Suffolk. Follow the links on the right to learn more.

Equity Funding Support

Are you looking for an investment into your business? New Anglia Capital, part of New Anglia Local Enterprise Partnership, helps early stage and high growth businesses pitch to experienced angel investors and provides match funding for successful projects. This co-investment fund is backed by £4m from New Anglia LEP in partnership with Anglia Capital Group. It aims to stimulate entrepreneurship and economic growth across Suffolk and Norfolk.