Support and Advice for Business
The Council’s Economic Development team offer a range of help
and advice to people who want to start, expand or relocate their
business to Neath Port Talbot.
The Council is also delivering the ‘Business Eye’ contract throughout the Swansea Bay
area. Business Eye does not provide
direct business support or grant aid itself, but signposts
customers to the most suitable support organisations, providing a
route map of whom to contact, what to do next, and how best to make
use of all the other assistance available.
Business Connect Neath Port Talbot
also provide extensive advice and support services to people who
want to start their own business, and to existing SMEs in the
County Borough.
Business Connect provide a comprehensive business planning
service to all applicants accessing the Council’s Business Start Up
Grant, Development Grant and Loan Scheme,
as well as being the WDA-approved provider of business services to
SMEs in Neath Port Talbot.
It is recognized throughout Wales that anyone seeking to start,
expand or relocate their business is faced with an array of advice
and support from a number of local and national bodies that can
often lead to confusion.
The Council’s Economic Development team deliver a range of help
and advice to those looking to start, expand or relocate their
business to Neath Port Talbot, and most importantly, working in
partnership with other local providers, offer a route through which
support can be easily accessed when needed.
A range of local networking opportunities include the Neath Port Talbot Business Club, Tourism Forum and West
Wales Exporters Association.
The introduction of the new “Business Eye” local business
information service by the Welsh Assembly Government has gone some
way to eliminate the confusion that exists by linking businesses
directly with the most appropriate sources of support.
The Council has secured the contract to deliver the new
“Business Eye” contract across Swansea Bay, including Neath Port
Talbot, and all business enquiries are initially routed through
this “single gateway” service.
Business Eye does not provide direct business support or grant
aid itself, but ‘signposts’ the enquirer to the best provider of
help and financial backing by providing a route map of whom to
contact, what to do next, and how to best make use of all the other
assistance available.
Extensive advice and support services to both business start-ups
and existing Small and Medium sized Enterprise (SME) companies can
also be accessed through Business Connect
Neath Port Talbot.
Business Connect provide a comprehensive business planning
service to all applicants accessing the Council’s Business Start Up
Scheme, Development Grant and Loan Fund as well as being the
WDA-approved provider of business services to SMEs in Neath Port
Talbot under both the New Business Starts Programme and the General
Business Advisory Service (GBAS).