The plan aims to provide sustainable financial lending to assist new and existing businesses and social enterprises, specifically businesses that require finance when mainstream funding sources sucgh as High Street banks are unable to assist.

Loans of between £1,000 and £100,000 are available.

Businesses or social enterprises seeking to apply for finance will need to produce a viable business plan and provide evidence that they have attempted to source funding from a bank.

For further information please visit http://www.telford.gov.uk/press/article/1258/small_business_loans_fund_set_to_be_launched

Source: www.telford.gov.uk

Outline details of the scheme were announced in the 2012 Budget. It has been confirmed that the scheme will be piloted in partnership with the National Youth Enterprise Working Group. Based on the current student loan system, the initiative will enable young people who choose not to go to University to access low interest loans for starting up a business.

There is an anticipated overall budget of £10 million available. Loans are expected to be worth up to £2,500 per individual. The scheme will also provide access to training and business mentors. Young entrepreneurs aged 18-24 who are planning to start up a business enterprise in the UK will be eligible to apply for a loan.

The pilot scheme, which will last for one year, is now expected to launch on 28th May 2012. Please visit http://www.j4bgrants.co.uk/News.aspx?WCI=htmResults&WCU=CBC=View,SEARCH=DS%3DJ4BGRB~pDL0%3D20120501~pDH0%3D20120531,DSCODE=J4BGRB,NEWSITEMID=38-N43249 for further details.

Source: BIS, 09/05/2012

Whittle Jones North East manages and runs a portfolio over 2.7 million sq ft of industrial/workshop and office accommodation in over 65 locations throughout the North East. For more information you can visit the Whittle Jones website at www.whittlejones.co.uk or if you go along on the day, members of the team will be on hand to discuss your requirements in further detail.

The show is the largest commercial property event in the North and is a must for any business with a property need. For more information please visit the website at www.commercialpropertyshow.co.uk.

John Marrow, Regional Property at Whittle Jones, managing agents acting on behalf of Northern Trust commented “We are delighted that Crown Direct chose Martland Park as their location to relocate.”

For further details please see the press release at http://www.whittlejones.com/press/whittle-jones-complete-crown-letting-at-martland-park/223 or for further information on Northern Trust’s other industrial premises to let within Wigan please visit the Whittle Jones search.

The scheme will offer business ratepayers the chance to postpone payment of some of the rates bill for the 2012-13 financial year only, over a three year period. You will be able to defer payment of 3.2 per cent of your 2012-13 bill – which is equivalent to 60 per cent of the Retail Price Index increase – until 2013-14 and 2014-15. You will then pay back the total amount deferred over those next two years.

You can apply at any time until 31 March 2013 provided you have some of your bill left to pay.

For further details please visit the Business Link website at http://www.businesslink.gov.uk/bdotg/action/detail?itemId=1097513239&type=RESOURCES

• Warwick House, Manchester – providing high quality refurbished office suites to let in the Old Trafford area of Manchester with sizes ranging from 447 – 4,726 sq ft.

Offices To Let in Manchester

• Bradford Court Business Centre, Birmingham – provides a range of office accommodation in Birmingham with sizes ranging from 76 to 1,498 sq ft.
• Aspen Court, Rotherham - has a range of high quality industrial units to let with sizes ranging from 1,588 sq ft to 13,810 sq ft.

For more featured properties please visit the Whittle Jones website at http://www.whittlejones.com/featured_properties

Enterprise Park forms part of the established Northern Road Industrial Estate, situated to the North of Newark town centre. With a range of industrial units to let from 1,650 sq ft up to 1,865 sq ft, the estate benefits from excellent road communications, being directly adjacent to the A1 and 18 miles from Junction 9 of the M1 motorway.

For more information contact the Midlands office on 0121 523 2929.

As the first of its kind in England, the super-fund will blaze a trail through to 2014 by
providing vital investment to hundreds of fast growing SMEs and increase the momentum of business enterprise and SME development.

The aim is to support 850 businesses across all sectors through loans and equity investments before 2014 from Tyneside to Teesside.

Finance for Business has been made possible by a unique collaboration between the European Investment Bank (EIB), European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and regional development agency One North East (ONE). The EIB has provided funding of £62.5m with ERDF and ONE supplying the remaining £62m.

The overall programme is now managed and co-ordinated by North East Finance (http://www.northeastfinance.org/), which acted as a strategic advisor in the creation of the funds. These include the £20 million Accelerator Fund managed by Northstar Ventures; and Entrust which manages the £5 million Microloan Fund.

The Accelerator Fund is targeted at high-growth, innovative companies at an early stage of their development, primarily the start-up or seed capital stages.

Investments range from £100,000 to £750,000 in the first instance, with the maximum amount invested into any one company limited to £2 million. For further details and eligibility please visit http://www.northstarventures.co.uk/our-funds/current-funds/north-east-accelerator-fund-20-million.htm. (Source: Northstar Equity Investors,11/04/2012)

The Finance for Business North East Microloan Fund is the seventh fund of the £125m Finance for Business North East Programme. Loan finance is available for small to
medium-sized businesses based in the North East of England. The fund aims to
support the creation of new enterprises and the growth of existing micro and
small businesses (including third sector organisations) across the North East
of England.

This fund offers loans of between £1,000 and £25,000 to individuals and businesses in the region for start-up and expansion projects that have potential to create jobs and generate additional economic value. For further details and eligibility please visit http://www.entrust.co.uk/money/north-east-microloan-fund. (Source: Entrust, 04/04/2012)

The firm, which specialises in providing safe, sustainable and cost effective
solutions for contaminated land and groundwater remediation, has taken unit 6
extending to 1,510 sq ft.

For further information on Earls Court please contact the joint agents Ryden (0131
225 6612) and DTZ (0131 222 4500) or visit www.earlsgate-businesspark.co.uk.