On 5 October the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced that the Government will give extra help to unemployed people who want to start their own business, through the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA).
NEA will be available to Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) customers who have been claiming for 26-weeks or more.
Participants will get access to a volunteer business mentor who will provide guidance and support as they develop their business plan and through the early months of trading. Once a customer can demonstrate they have a viable business proposition with the potential for growth in the future, they will be able to access financial support. This will consist of:
- a weekly allowance worth up to £1,275, and
- if they need start-up capital, they may also be able to access a loan up to £1,000 to help with their start-up costs.
The total package of support could be worth up to £2,275 to each participant who starts their own business.
On this page:
- Rollout of NEA
- April 2011 partnership opportunities – applications invited until 8 April
- May 2011 partnership opportunities – applications invited until26 April
- June 2011 partnership opportunities – application details will be published on 18 April
- Questions about NEA or the rollout
- Merseyside trailblazer
- Enterprise Clubs
Rollout of NEA
- 31 January 2011 – we are currently testing the NEA model in six local authority districts in Merseyside.
- End of April to end of June 2011 – there will be a staged rollout covering 17 districts.
- Autumn 2011 – national rollout.
April 2011 partnership opportunities to support the roll out NEA
NEA roll-out will begin in April 2011 and applications are now invited from interested organisations who wish to apply for funding to help deliver the NEA in the following Jobcentre Plus Districts.
Application forms to apply for funding:
- Birmingham and Solihull application form (157KB) RTF
- Black Country application form (157KB) RTF
- Durham and Tees Valley application form (158KB) RTF
- Mercia (Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire) application form (161KB) RTF
- Merseyside application form (157KB) RTF
- Northumberland, Tyne and Wear application form (156KB) RTF
- South Yorkshire application form (157KB) RTF
Guidance documents:
-
Background information about New Enterprise Allowance (29KB)
-
Guidance notes for applicants – April rollout (67KB)
-
Guidance for calculating JSA stock levels (60KB)
The closing date for applications is 8 April 2011.
May 2011 partnership opportunities to support the rollout of NEA
NEA rollout will continue in May and applications are now invited from interested organisations who wish to apply for funding to help deliver the NEA in the following Jobcentre Plus Districts.
Application forms to apply for funding:
- Cumbria and Lancashire application form (158KB) RTF
- Devon and Cornwall application form (156KB) RTF
- Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland application form (157KB) RTF
Guidance documents:
-
Background information about New Enterprise Allowance (23KB)
-
Guidance notes for applicants – May rollout (67KB)
-
Guidance for calculating JSA stock levels (60KB)
-
NEA Grant Funding Payment Model (20KB)
The closing date for applications is 26 April 2011.
June 2011 partnership opportunities to support the rollout of NEA in
NEA rollout will continue in June and applications will be invited on 18 April on this website from interested organisations who wish to apply for funding to help deliver the NEA in the following Jobcentre Plus Districts:
- North & Mid Wales
- South East Wales
- South West Wales
- Glasgow, Lanarkshire & East Dunbartonshire
- West of Scotland
- North of Scotland
- East and South East Scotland
Questions about NEA or the rollout
If you have any questions about NEA or the April and May roll-out, please contact nea.queries@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
Merseyside trailblazer
We are working with St Helens Chamber to deliver mentoring support for the New Enterprise Allowance trailblazer in Merseyside for a limited period to 30 April 2011.
Working with St Helens Chamber to support the Merseyside trailblazer
The St Helens Chamber is the lead delivery partner for the NEA Merseyside. If you wish to be become a member of the St Helens Chamber partnership on a voluntary basis, please contact ann.holcroft@sthelenschamber.com.
You will need to demonstrate where your membership would add value.
The decision as to which members are recruited into the partnership rests with the St Helens Chamber.
Enterprise Clubs
Enterprise Clubs are a Great Britain wide initiative which aims to support the development of a network of locally led, community based support targeted at unemployed people interested in self-employment.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/updates/new-enterprise-allowance/
PDF version Second round of bids for Regional Growth Fund being considered
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) has received more than 490 bids competing for a share of £950 million from the Regional Growth Fund.
These bids were received in response to the second round of the £1.4 billion fund, which is designed to encourage enterprise, growth and jobs in the private sector and support regions that are dependent on the public sector. The bids will compete for a share of £950 million.
The 492 bids, asking for £3.3 billion, are being assessed by the Independent Advisory Board, chaired by Lord Heseltine, over the summer. The board will then make recommendations to a board of ministers, led by Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, which will make the final decisions as to which proposals should receive funding. It is expected that the successful bidders will be announced in the autumn.
There were 140 bids received for the North West – the highest of all the regions, which account for 28 per cent of all the bids received. More than 330 of the total number of bids received are bidding for between £1 million and £5 million.
The Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, said:
“This vital regional fund uses government investment and multiplies it to give a real boost to local businesses. Round one is already helping local economies across the country and has attracted £2.5 billion of private sector investment. This will directly create or protect over 27,000 jobs, and secure around a further 100,000 jobs on related supply chains and in local economies. We welcome the bids received for the second round, and hope we can do even more this time.”
Lord Heseltine said:
“We knew from the road shows there was going to be a huge amount of interest in the second round of the Regional Growth Fund, and we have been overwhelmed by the volume of bids submitted.
“There is clearly a hunger for public support which will allow new and exciting projects to deliver jobs and growth in their local communities to get off the ground, and I’m pleased to see so many people wanting to be a part of this. We now face the difficult task of assessing each of these bids; we have a busy summer ahead of us!”
In the first round of the Regional Growth Fund, more than 450 bids were submitted. In April the Government announced that of these bids, 50 had been successful and, following a due diligence process, would receive a share of £450 million.
Private sector organisations and public-private partnerships were invited to bid for a share of the £1.4 billion fund to create jobs and boost local growth.
The allocation of funding each successful proposal will receive will be the minimum amount the proposal needs to get off the ground. Each bid must also demonstrate it is bringing in private sources of funding as well. The public investment in the first 50 successful bids is expected to secure a further £2.5 billion of private investment.
Lord Heseltine and the deputy chair of the independent board, Sir Ian Wrigglesworth, attended a series of road shows held across the country to encourage bids to the second round, and to address any queries or issues. More than 1000 people interested in the fund attended the road shows, where they were also able to attend surgeries with BIS officials.
Notes to editors
1. All the bids received in the second round of the Regional Growth Fund are commercially sensitive and it is not possible to publish the names of the bidders or details of the proposals.
2. Further details on regional spread and total value of the bids is available here: http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/regional-economic-development/regional-growth-fund
3. Details of bids by LEP area and the number of programme bids will be available on the BIS website shortly.
4. Following his new role supporting the new Cities Minister, Lord Shipley has stepped down from the Independent Advisory Board. Three new members, Lord Mike Storey, Sir Alan Cockshaw and Lord John Monks have now joined the panel. The members of the panel are:
- Lord Heseltine
- Sir Ian Wrigglesworth
- Sir David Rowlands
- Caroline Plumb
- Jon Moulton
- Felicity Goodey
- Prof Anthony Venables
- Tony Greenham
- Mark Seligman
- Andrew Shilston
- Sir Richard Lambert
- Lord Mike Storey
- Sir Alan Cockshaw
- Lord John Monks
5. BIS's online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.
http://nds.coi.gov.uk/content/detail.aspx?NewsAreaId=2&ReleaseID=420634&...
On 5 October the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced that the Government will give extra help to unemployed people who want to start their own business, through the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA).
NEA will be available to Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) customers who have been claiming for 26-weeks or more.
Participants will get access to a volunteer business mentor who will provide guidance and support as they develop their business plan and through the early months of trading. Once a customer can demonstrate they have a viable business proposition with the potential for growth in the future, they will be able to access financial support. This will consist of:
The total package of support could be worth up to £2,275 to each participant who starts their own business.
On this page:
Rollout of NEA
April 2011 partnership opportunities to support the roll out NEA
The deadline for applications to apply for funding to help deliver NEA in the following Jobcentre Plus districts has now passed:
We will publish details of successful applicants on this page on 28 April 2011.
May 2011 partnership opportunities to support the rollout of NEA
NEA rollout will continue in May and applications are now invited from interested organisations who wish to apply for funding to help deliver the NEA in the following Jobcentre Plus Districts.
Application forms to apply for funding:
Guidance documents:
The closing date for applications is 26 April 2011.
June 2011 partnership opportunities to support the rollout of NEA
NEA rollout will continue in June and applications are now invited from interested organisations who wish to apply for funding to help deliver the NEA in the following Jobcentre Plus Districts.
Application forms to apply for funding:
Guidance documents:
Questions about NEA or the rollout
If you have any questions about NEA or the April and May roll-out, please contact nea.queries@jobcentreplus.gsi.gov.uk
Merseyside trailblazer
We are working with St Helens Chamber to deliver mentoring support for the New Enterprise Allowance trailblazer in Merseyside for a limited period to 30 April 2011.
Working with St Helens Chamber to support the Merseyside trailblazer
The St Helens Chamber is the lead delivery partner for the NEA Merseyside. If you wish to be become a member of the St Helens Chamber partnership on a voluntary basis, please contact ann.holcroft@sthelenschamber.com.
You will need to demonstrate where your membership would add value.
The decision as to which members are recruited into the partnership rests with the St Helens Chamber.
Enterprise Clubs
Enterprise Clubs are a Great Britain wide initiative which aims to support the development of a network of locally led, community based support targeted at unemployed people interested in self-employment.
http://www.dwp.gov.uk/adviser/updates/new-enterprise-allowance/