North Kesteven The place to invest The place to grow
In the run up to this year’s Small Business Saturday on 6th December, Small Business Saturday will again proudly showcase and promote 100 brilliant, diverse and adaptable small businesses from across the UK daily through the SmallBiz100 campaign.
Share the story behind your business, what makes it special and any future plans. Applying to the SmallBiz100 is free and provides excellent support, networking and promotional opportunities. Applications close on 30 June.
New dates have been announced for Business Lincolnshire’s Starting in Business programme, a series of support to guide you through the nuts and bolts of starting and running a successful business.
The two-day workshops will be delivered online between 9.30am and 3.30pm each day. Upcoming dates include: April 24 and 25, April 28 and 29, May 12 and 13, and May 21 and 22. There will also be sessions taking place in June and July.
Express your interest at https://www.businesslincolnshire.com/register/
Find upcoming events at https://www.businesslincolnshire.com/events/
Builders, carpenters, electricians, joiners, plasterers, plumbers, and roofers, are just some of the trades being urged to take the risks of asbestos seriously. That’s the message from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). The workplace regulator has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of the risks associated with the dangerous substance.
The campaign, called Asbestos and You, will target all tradespeople with a focus on younger workers in trades who have recently joined the industry. HSE wants to reach construction workers who started their careers after the use of asbestos was banned by 1999.
The regulator is concerned the length of time it takes for symptoms to develop after asbestos exposure could lead to a perception among today’s younger workers that it is something that only impacts older people who were working before the ban. Five thousand people a year still die from asbestos related illnesses and asbestos can still be found in buildings built or refurbished before the year 2000.
Asbestos containing materials were used extensively in the construction and maintenance of buildings in Great Britain from the 1950s until they were banned. That means construction workers of all ages could still be exposed to asbestos fibres today. If asbestos fibres are inhaled, they can cause serious diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestos related lung cancer, asbestosis, and pleural thickening. Construction tradespeople of any age are at significant risk if they disturb materials containing asbestos during repairs and refurbishment.
More information about the HSE campaign can be found at: Asbestos & You – Work Right to keep Britain safe
The Cyber Resilience Centre for the East Midlands has free resources available to support small businesses to understand cyber security and cyber crime.
The free tools include:
In addition to the free tools above, there’s lots of other support available too, including paid for training and support packages.
The Government has announced a £120 million funding package to support zero emission vehicle adoption, which extends the plug-in van grant for another year.
Businesses and van drivers can receive up to £5,000 towards electric and zero-emission vans. Additional grants are also available for taxis, motorcycles and there will be an increase in grants for wheelchair-accessible vehicles from £35,000 to £50,000.
Taking place on March 22 and 23, Discover Lincolnshire Weekend aims to shine a light on everything our county has to offer. It’s open to all attractions and businesses to get involved.
Businesses and attractions are invited to get involved and are encouraged to offer an incentive to visitors, such as a special offer or exclusive discount.
By participating in the campaign with an offer or discount, businesses can benefit from increased footfall, online presence, social media activity and possibly media coverage.
The law is changing in England which will require you or your workplace to recycle a core set of recyclable materials. These changes will take place at different times, depending on the number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees:
The following materials will need to be recycled:
All workplaces need to act, including:
This is a legal requirement and ignoring the changes could result in compliance action being taken against your business.
Businesses should peak to their waste collector to check if current services meet the requirements or if changes are needed, tell your staff about any new processes and how to recycle correctly. This might include signage on bins. Decide how frequently your recycling and food waste collections should be based on the amount of waste you produce.
For more detail on the actions you need to take, you should check the guidance or visit Recycling of Business for useful toolkits and support with waste management.
The Rural Business Grant supports rural businesses to invest in sustainable growth across the District, supporting new and existing rural businesses to develop new products, services and facilities that will benefit the local economy and rural communities.
Minimum grants of £5,000 are available and match funding is required, and to demonstrate value for money, applicants will be required to offer match funding.
Applications must be submitted by Friday 31st January 2025 and any proposed purchase/works must be completed by March 2025.
View more information on the Rural Business Grant.
The Rural Business Grant is being delivered by North Kesteven District Council for DEFRA under the Rural England Prosperity Fund. This allocation is an addendum to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Make the most of Small Business Saturday this year, see the suggestions below to gain further exposure ahead of 7 December: