Stoke Staffs LEP

Why have we set up the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Growth Hub?

We need to increase levels of sustainable private-sector job creation in our area to allow people to live more prosperously and to enable businesses to thrive. Statistics show that businesses that take up offers of business support tend to grow faster and stronger than those that don’t. But it can be very difficult and time-consuming to find the most appropriate and beneficial support.

We established the Stoke-on-Trent & Staffordshire Business Helpline “ 0300 111 8002 “ in order to provide a single point of contact for business advice and to help signpost businesses to relevant providers of support. Sometimes, a business issue can be difficult to discuss in full by telephone “ in which case one of the Growth Hub Advisors will be happy to visit your business premises to discuss the issue in more detail. Other times, finding a solution might take a bit of brokering between different providers “ in which case the Growth Hub can help to unlock support for you.

We also want to see an improved environment in which businesses can grow. Our Growth Hub encourages different business support partners to work together to ensure that they put the needs of client businesses first. It encourages partners to think carefully about each business’s needs in order to find the most appropriate solutions for the business.

Our Growth Hub was established with the support of the Wave 2 Growth Hub Programme led by Lancaster University to promote economic growth.  The programme is funded by the Regional Growth Fund.  The ultimate aim of the Wave 2 Growth Hub Programme is to enable businesses in participating areas to create jobs and increase their productivity and competitiveness through improved access to, and use of, more effective, smarter, and integrated business support.

It is part of the response to Lord Heseltine’s report recommending devolving power to regions and improving the economies of English cities. Lancaster University was approached by the Cabinet Office to develop a Regional Growth Fund bid because of its ability to translate world class research into programmes with proven economic impact.