Pioneering ways of meeting the West of England’s economic challenges while building on its strengths are to be explored by a new data and research project. The Brunel Centre, which will officially launch next year, will bring together businesses and universities with policymakers to support regional growth and industrial strategy. It has been created by the...
Bath Future Talent Programme, the city’s unique leadership development scheme, ends its eighth annual programme today with a celebratory event and a look ahead to exploring challenges for 2025. The world-class programme is staged by Bath Bridge, the community interest company that brings together a wide range of knowledge, skills and experience to boost...
Naturbeads, the Bath firm developing biodegradable alternatives to harmful microplastics, has secured £7.8m in funding to further develop its pioneering technology, including building its first production plant. Founded in 2018 as a spin-out from the University of Bath, Naturbeads is now scaling its innovative cellulose microsphere technology. The series A round funding will enable...
Chancellor Rachel Reeves delivered her Budget on 30 October, the first by Labour for almost 15 years. She pledged to ‘invest, invest, invest’ to drive growth and ‘restore economic stability’. Ms Reeves said the Budget would raise a massive £40bn in taxes, a significant proportion of which will be borne by businesses. Here Pearson...
A Bath CleanTech spin-out business will be vying for investment of £1.5m at a high-profile event aimed at shaping the tech investment landscape. LabCycle will line up against 19 other firms at Investment Futures in London, which will also feature panel and roundtable discussions on a range of sector-related topics. The event is being staged...
The sweeping fiscal changes announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in her Budget will hit SMEs and business owners hard as the government seeks to plug a ‘£22bn black hole’ in the public purse. In one of the most hotly anticipated Autumn Budgets in recent years, the Chancellor announced the government’s plan to achieve its...
Tax rises in the Budget aimed at companies could slow much-needed economic growth and undermine investment decisions, the region’s largest business organisation fears. Business West, the organisation behind Bath Chamber of Commerce, said it recognised that the Chancellor faced a tight fiscal position and had to make hard decisions. But it added that it was...
Chancellor Rachel Reeves started her Budget speech by saying the country voted for change on 4 July. As a result, the Labour government could now “fix the foundations”. The way to ensure growth was to “invest, invest, invest”, she added. In total, the Budget will raise taxes by £40bn. The key points from the Budget...
People against Poverty (PaP) has just held its 2023-24 AGM and annual celebration for supporters at which it presented a bold strategy for growth for 2025. Despite being small charity, PaP supports 18 projects across six countries – the UK, Haiti, India, Malawi, Romania and Tanzania – and has helped thousands of people on...
Business confidence in the South West has improved and remains firmly in positive territory amid strong domestic sales growth, according to new research. Published less than a week before one of the most important Budgets for a generation, the quarterly survey of chartered accountants in the region paints a more upbeat picture than many...
