When the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) came to an end in March 2026, there was considerable uncertainty about what would happen to local council business grants. Many council-funded schemes closed earlier this year, leaving businesses with fewer local funding opportunities and questions about where the next wave of support would come from. Four months … Read more
Introduction According to the latest Quarterly Small Business Growth Survey by Novuna, the number of UK small businesses predicting growth has hit a 12 year low in Q3 of 2026. Just 24% of small businesses are forecasting any growth in Q3, down from 28% in Q2 of 2026. The main reasons cited for overall growth … Read more
Introduction According to the latest British Chambers of Commerce Economic Forecast published in June 2026, UK GDP is forecast to grow by 0.9% in 2026, followed by 1.0% in 2027 and 1.3% in 2028. In terms of individual sector forecasts, services have a predicted year-on-year growth of 1.3% in 2026, manufacturing will increase by 0.8%. … Read more
Introduction According to the 2026 KPMG Private Enterprise Barometer, in terms of growth metrics 4 out of 5 UK businesses surveyed are expecting their revenue to increase over the next 12 months and around 25% of businesses are expecting a significant rise in revenues. Regarding funding for growth options, 59% of businesses plan to use … Read more
Introduction According to the latest Barclays Business Prosperity Index 86% of UK firms stated that they were confident in the strength of their business in Q4 of 2025. In terms of growth prospects, 58% of business leaders believe that the UK is a more attractive market to start, scale and grow a business when compared with … Read more
Introduction According to a 2025 survey by Allica Bank of accountants and their SME clients, 13% of UK SMEs are expecting high growth in 2026 and at the other end of the scale just 6% of businesses predict no growth at all. In terms of businesses planning to grow, 72% are focused on purchasing new … Read more
Introduction According to a new survey from NerdWallet of 500 UK business owners, economic pressures at the end of this year and forecast to continue for 2026 have caused 21% of SMEs to pause their growth plans or delay major investments. A further 21% are planning to freeze recruitment or delay taking on new hires. … Read more
The government’s recent announcement of a £5 billion “Pride in Place” fund marks a shift towards empowering local communities and businesses to drive their own regeneration. Targeted at 339 “overlooked” communities, this new programme focuses on giving local areas greater control and resources to address their specific challenges. This can involve a variety of measures, … Read more
Introduction The Federation of Small Business has released its latest Small Business Index collating the sentiment of UK small businesses from the first quarter of 2025. According to the businesses surveyed in Q1 of 2025, 47.8% projected that they will grow over the next 12 months, this is up from 43.4% in Q4 of 2024. … Read more
Introduction According to recent research from Allica Bank, UK business growth plans are at risk due to a £90bn shortfall in lending by banks to SMEs over the past 25 years. A large proportion of this SME credit gap has developed since the 2008 global financial crisis, where in the years since it is estimated … Read more