Links
Access to Finance
- Alternative Business Funding provides free and easy access to selecting alternative business funding for SME’s – especially those with an interest in alternatives to traditional bank loans or asset finance.
- Business is Great Britain Support, advice and inspiration for growing your business
- Funding Circle Get a fast, flexible loan, up to £1,000,000 for all requirements. Bypass the banks and have your loan funded by people across the UK.
- Funding for Social Enterprises The Big Venture Challenge is a national competition to find the 25 most ambitious social entrepreneurs in England
- Gov.UK Information about starting up and running a business in the UK, including help if you’re self employed or a sole trader.
- Invest Sefton Serving the needs of Sefton’s business community
- New Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards (UK) Santander has announced that this year’s Social Enterprise Development Awards are open for applications
- Skills For Growth access subsidies, grants or loans to invest in skills and training
- UnLtd and Santander – New Awards to Support Social Entrepreneurs (UK) UnLtd and Santander have launched a new three-year programme offering funding and support for ambitious social entrepreneurs wanting to grow their ventures. The SEDA programme is offering two awards.
Becoming Self Employed
- Enterprise Nation
- Gov.UK Information about starting up and running a business in the UK, including help if you’re self employed or a sole trader.
- HMRC guide to self employment
Blogroll
- Book your place here To book on
- Growth Vouchers Changed the eligibility of the Growth Voucher Scheme. The scheme helps businesses to get advice, starting with a FREE diagnostic tool either on-line or face-to-face, to help identify what support is needed. If support is offered, Government will pay half
- Trading Standards – Buying with Confidence All the businesses on this website have been vetted and approved by Trading Standards to ensure that they operate in a legal, honest and fair way.
Business Start Up/Becoming self-employed
- Big Enterprise in Communities Sefton CVS is offering support for enterprise start-up and development opportunities across Sefton through the Big Enterprise in Communities initiative
- Gov.UK Information about starting up and running a business in the UK, including help if you’re self employed or a sole trader.
- HMRC E-Learning Tutorial 'Starting Your Own Business' Have you just started in business and become self-employed?
- HMRC guide to self employment
- Princes Trust
Business Support
- Active Travel Sefton Active Travel is all about encouraging and enabling you to move around your local area on foot, by bike or by sustainable transport.
- Alternative Business Funding provides free and easy access to selecting alternative business funding for SME’s – especially those with an interest in alternatives to traditional bank loans or asset finance.
- Business in you
- Business is Great Britain Support, advice and inspiration for growing your business
- Business Savings In A Changing Climate A toolkit to help companies assess the opportunities and risks of climate change to their business.
- Federation of Small Businesses
- Funding Circle Get a fast, flexible loan, up to £1,000,000 for all requirements. Bypass the banks and have your loan funded by people across the UK.
- Gov.UK Information about starting up and running a business in the UK, including help if you’re self employed or a sole trader.
- GREAT Business Website Set up the GREAT Business Website, a single website that brings together all Government services to business in one place
- Growing Business growingbusiness website with tips on how to grow, funding, operations, finance & law, sales & marketing and more
- Growing Your Business Lord Young’s Report on how to grow your micro business, with extensive links to support agencies
- Help for Growing Small Businesses
- Information & Guidance from Gov.uk
- Merseyside Business Support Programme Supporting Business Growth and Employment in Sefton (Factsheet)
- Merseyside Special Investment Fund (MSIF)
- My Business Support Added a new tool to the GREAT Business Website called My Business Support, to help SMES find the right support for their businesses
- REECH (Renewables & Energy Efficiency in Community Housing) REECH (Renewables and Energy Efficiency in Community Housing) is a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded project aimed at improving energy efficiency in some of the most deprived communities in Merseyside and Halton.
- Sefton Council for Voluntary Service Sefton CVS is a registered charity providing specialist infrastructure and support to the VCF sector that encourage and support independent resilience and sustainable communities in the borough of Sefton.
- Skills For Growth access subsidies, grants or loans to invest in skills and training
- South Sefton Development Trust
- The Association of Business Schools
- The North West Fund The North West Fund provides debt and equity finance from £50,000 to £2 million to small and medium sized businesses based in, or relocating to, the North West of England to start, develop and grow.
- The Womens Organisation
- Trading Standards
Colleges/Universities
Councils
- Halton
- Knowsley
- Liverpool
- Local Area Assessment
- Sefton Council’s Transformation Programme Questionnaire regarding Sefton’s Library Service: Closing date 31/07/12
- Sefton Directory The Sefton Directory provides comprehensive online information about a full range of opportunities and services across Sefton.
- Sefton Economic Strategy (Consultation Draft) The consultation period for the Sefton Economic Strategy (Consultation Draft) commences Thursday 5th April and closes on the 29th June. To find out more information and the opportunity to reply via several options follow the link.
- Sefton MBC
- St Helens
- Strategic Regeneration Framework Sefton MBC’s Strategic Regeneration Framework
- Wirral
Employment Advice
- Business is Great Britain Support, advice and inspiration for growing your business
- Sefton@Work Sefton@Work – supporting local residents into employment
Employment advice and support
- ACAS
- Connexions
- National Apprenticeship Service The National Apprenticeship Service (NAS) supports, funds and co-ordinates the delivery of Apprenticeships throughout England. Providing an an online system where employers can advertise their Apprenticeship job vacancies and potential apprentices can app
- Opportunities Shop
- Reed in Partnership
- Sefton@Work
- Sefton@Work Sefton@Work – supporting local residents into employment
Environmental support
- Aggregain Free helpline for advice on sourcing and using recycled aggregates
- BRE BRE Global has launched a new framework standard for the responsible sourcing of construction products – BRE Environmental and Sustainability Standard (BES) 6001: 2008
- Carbon Trust's SME Carbon Network launch of the Carbon Trust’s SME Carbon Network. The network is a free online community for SMEs designed to help share knowledge and best practice relating to reducing carbon emissions and energy costs (based on the concept of the Public Sector Carbon Ne
- Decentralised Energy Knowledge Base (DEKB) The DEKB is an information source for anyone in business who wants to make and use their own energy – including practitioners, consultants, advisors, agencies and energy consumers and developers.
- Department of Energy and Climate Change The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) was created in October 2008, bringing together energy policy previously with BERR and Defra.
- Energy Saving Trust Boiler specifications and sizing
- Free Environmental Guidance NetRegs provides free environmental guidance for small businesses in the UK. They will help you to understand what you need to do to comply with environmental legislation and protect the environment and even help you to save you money !
- NetRegs NetRegs provides free guidance on envirnomental legislation and regulations, and how to comply
- NISP NISP links companies together, enabling savings by sharing resources
- Part L Part L Building Regulations- Conservation of Fuel and Power …
- REECH (Renewables & Energy Efficiency in Community Housing) REECH (Renewables and Energy Efficiency in Community Housing) is a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded project aimed at improving energy efficiency in some of the most deprived communities in Merseyside and Halton.
- RES Group World Leading Renewable Energy Company
- The Association of Business Schools
- The Carbon Trust A not for profit company providing specialist support to help business and the public sector boost business returns by cutting carbon emissions, saving energy and commercialising low carbon technologies
- The Renewable Energy Centre Information and advice on energy saving alternatives in the UK.
- UK Green Building Council Our mission is to dramatically improve the sustainability of the built environment, by radically transforming the way it is planned, designed, constructed, maintained and operated.
- WRAP Helps individuals, businesses and local authorities to reduce waste and recycle more, making better use of resources and helping to tackle climate change. Free guidance and tools to help you reduce and manage your waste and materials are available
- Zero Carbon Hub All new homes in England will need to be carbon neutral by 2016…..
Export and Expanding Markets
- Business is Great Britain Support, advice and inspiration for growing your business
- ExportSefton Access to a network of successful exporters, best practice and latest market intelligence, financial and logistical aid.
- UKTI (United Kingdom Trade & Investment) Export services
Funding
- Alternative Business Funding provides free and easy access to selecting alternative business funding for SME’s – especially those with an interest in alternatives to traditional bank loans or asset finance.
- Business is Great Britain Support, advice and inspiration for growing your business
- Gov.UK Information about starting up and running a business in the UK, including help if you’re self employed or a sole trader.
- Government grant of up to £3,000 to upgrade to a faster, more reliable internet connection. . Businesses can apply for a superfast broadband grant now by visiting www.connectionvouchers.co.uk. This offer ends on 31 March 2015.
- New Santander Social Enterprise Development Awards (UK) Santander has announced that this year’s Social Enterprise Development Awards are open for applications
- Skills For Growth access subsidies, grants or loans to invest in skills and training
Graduates into Employment
Help for Businesses
- Business Continuity & Planning Helping businesses to prepare for major disruption
- Business in you
- Business is Great Britain Support, advice and inspiration for growing your business
Invest Sefton General
- HMRC
- Superport Liverpool The site has been developed to market the City Region as an excellent location for cost-effective, low carbon multi modal connectivity for UK and Ireland logistics operations.
- Visit Southport
Liverpool City Region
- Liverpool &Sefton Chambers of Commerce Supports the development, growth and sustained economic viability of chamber members and the wider business community of Liverpool City Region
- Liverpool Airport
- Liverpool Local Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) An organisation which was established in late October 2010 by the government to help stimulate economic growth, create jobs and increase productivity. The Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership, or LEP, is a private sector led Board with polit
- Liverpool Vision
- Mersey Maritime
- MySignpost A joined-up network of publicly available provision, supporting employers, advisers and helping the wider community to progress in work, learning and life.
- The Port of Liverpool
Low Carbon
- REECH (Renewables & Energy Efficiency in Community Housing) REECH (Renewables and Energy Efficiency in Community Housing) is a European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funded project aimed at improving energy efficiency in some of the most deprived communities in Merseyside and Halton.
National Agencies
- Construction Industry Training Board (CITB) Sector Skills Council for construction
- HMRC – E Learning tutorial E-Learning Tutorial ‘Starting your own business’-URL address
- HMRC – Library of Fact sheets Fact sheets for topical subjects
- HMRC – Webinars- Online Live seminars On line live seminars Allows questions at the end. You need to book on the chosen date and the schedule is updated regularly
Sports Clubs
Tender Opportunities
- Bluelight Emergency Services eTendering Site Tenders across the Country from the Emergency Services (requires registration)
- CompeteFor CompeteFor is a free service that enables businesses to compete for contract opportunities linked to the London 2012 Games and other major public and private sector buying organisations.
- My Tenders Management of Tenders whether a purchaser or supplier
- Public Tenders Public Tenders
- sell2wales Provides details of tender opportunities across the UK including lower value ones
- Supplying Government The new opportunities portal for lower-value contracts – supporting UK businesses to tender for government opportunities
- Tenders Electronic Daily European wide tenders above the EU procurement threshold
- The Chest THE Chest is the north west’s public sector procurement portal and has been created with funding from the North West Centre of Excellence.