Businesses

If you run a business in Staffordshire advice and support is available to help you manage the impact of cost of living rises on your business.

This page will be updated when new initiatives are launched, please keep checking back. 

Help with energy costs

All businesses have fixed energy prices until April 2023.  This gives more certainty and confidence to continue operating over the autumn and winter months while the Government develops long-term solutions. 

Energy prices for businesses including companies, charities and public sector organisations will be capped under the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which will cut the rates they pay by up to half this winter, with support starting from the 1 October for a six-month period.

Find out more about government support.

Low carbon business evolution programme

The Staffordshire Business and Enterprise Network (SBEN), can help you to reduce your carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency.

It has now been widened to include an additional Energy Efficiency Review for a business that has previously had one, and grants towards the capital costs for solar projects.

Membership of SBEN is still free until the end of next March and includes access to the Carbon Tracker tool.

Find out more about the low carbon business evolution programme.

Local support for businesses

Staffordshire Means Business

Support includes:

• Get Started and Grow - fully funded support for starting-up and growing your business. Accountancy, business-planning, digital marketing, branding, website or a combination available for businesses aged 0 to 5 years.

• Redundancy and Recruitment Triage Service - free bespoke plans to any Stoke-on-Trent or Staffordshire business who needs to restructure and wants to help their staff get into other work in growth sectors as quickly as possible.

• Workplace Health Staffordshire -  free-to-access support from Staffordshire County Council to help you create a healthy workplace. Healthy employees mean a healthy business, support includes professional weight loss, mental health support, activity support and more. Sign up to receive regular updates straight to your inbox or access the webpages.

Find out more about Staffordshire Means Business

Sign up to email updates from Staffordshire Means Business.

Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Business Loan Fund

Support for businesses to grow through affordable, unsecured loans from £10,000 to £50,000.  

Find out more about the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent loan scheme.

Staffordshire Growth Hub 

Advice and business support including a free appointment with a business advisor, business networks, growth groups and links to specialist information, advice, and services.  

Contact the Growth Hub.

Staffordshire Jobs and Careers - Coming Soon

A fully-funded employment brokerage service to help you find the right person for your job will launch at the end of October.

Government support for businesses

The government's Growth Plan includes:

Income tax

• Cut in basic rate of income tax to 19% (19p in the pound) from April 2023
• 45% higher rate of income tax abolished
• One single higher rate of income tax of 40% from April next year

National Insurance

• Reverse recent 1.25% rise in National Insurance (NI) from 6 November
• Workers and employers have paid an extra 1.25p in the pound since April

Corporation Tax

• Cancel rise in corporation tax which was due to increase from 19% to 25% in April 2023

Work and investment

• IR35 rules - the rules which govern off-payroll working - to be simplified
• Annual investment allowance, the amount companies can invest tax free, remains at £1m indefinitely
• Regulations change so pensions funds can increase UK investments
• New and start-up companies able to raise up to £250,000 under scheme giving tax relief to investors
• Share options for employees doubled from £30,000 to £60,000

Stamp Duty

• Cut to stamp duty which is paid when people buy a property in England and Northern Ireland
• No stamp duty on first £250,000 (double previous level) and for first time buyers that rises to £425,000
• 200,000 more people will be taken out of paying stamp duty altogether, government claims

More information on the government’s Growth Plan.

Help to Grow: Management programme

The Help to grow management programme is 90% funded by the government so you only pay £750.

Delivered in partnership with Small Business Charter, courses are running at leading business schools across the UK.

Find out more about Help to Grow.

Help to Grow: Digital 

Businesses can access free, impartial online support about how digital technology can boost your business’s performance, impartial online support about how digital technology can boost your business’s performance.

If your business is eligible, you can also access a discount of up to 50% towards the costs of buying approved software, worth up to £5,000.  

Find out more about Help to Grow: Digital.

Did you know?

Staffordshire County Council has put a strong case forward to the government for Staffordshire to become an ‘Investment Zone’, which mean could mean that red tape around housing and infrastructure is reduced and business taxes are cut.

More information about Investment Zones.