Small firms may be eligible for recruitment advice as part of government measures to boost SME sector

RA Now

An initiative to support small businesses get advice on recruitment, marketing and finance has been launched by the government.

Costing £30m, the ‘Growth vouchers’ programme will enable eligible small businesses to receive up to £2,000 to help them access specialist support on hiring, financial management and marketing.

To be eligible, companies must have not paid for business advice in the last three years. They must also have 49 or fewer employees, be independent, have been trading for at least one year and be registered in England.

The programme is part of the government’s £1.1bn package of business rate measures aimed at providing relief for small businesses, including doubling Small Business Rate Relief.

From April this year businesses and charities will be entitled to a £2,000 Employment Allowance to reduce their employer National Insurance Contributions (NICs) bill each year. Over 90% of the benefit of this allowance will go to small businesses.

However, government plans to scrap more than 3,000 regulations including employment and health and safety law have come under criticism from the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, particularly for putting self-employed workers at risk.

“This package is part of the government’s efforts to boost support for the growing number of small businesses across the UK,” said business secretary Vince Cable. “Small firms employ around 14 million people and are making an increasingly significant contribution to the British economy.”

Enterprise and skills minister Matthew Hancock added: “Small businesses are responsible for nearly half the job creation in the UK. That’s why we must continue our drive to provide the support they need to scale-up, move into new markets and hire more staff so that they can compete in the global race.”