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Business Zone Help for business
See Economic Development Team.
Who does the Economic Development Team help?
Generally, residents and businesses in the Royal Borough. Portobello Business Centre also offers advice to businesses (see below).
Is there funding available ?
We do not provide any. The Department for Work and Pensions administers benefits for unemployed residents. However, we publish a free leaflet, called Jobs and Training: The Guide, which contains details of local organisations and opportunities. It also contains details of local grants for post-16 education and training.
What about business grants and financial incentives?
There are none available from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Good business
ideas can generally find financial backing in the open market. The Portobello Business Centre can help.
What else do we do?
We work to:
The Council grant aids the Portobello Business Centre to assist local people wanting to start up in business, local businesses to expand or existing businesses to relocate. The PBC comprises the Business Development Centre and the Information Technology Centre providing a range of services including: business start-up counselling, business reviews, business growth planning and crisis management, business training courses, IT services and courses.
The Royal Borough owns commercial units which are available for rent. There are retail units in King's Road, Golborne Road and others throughout the Borough; artists' studios in Chelsea and small workshops in North Kensington.
The Council has developed and manages affordable office space called Baseline Studies. For more information see baselinestudios.co.uk.
There are periodic vacancies, and a waiting list is kept if an appropriate unit is not available immediately. For further information, contact Property Services.
To obtain a stall at the world famous Portobello Road market contact the Market Office.
The Department for Work and Pensions and the Jobcentre Plus Service welcomes the opportunity to match your vacancy with suitable applicants. There is a local Jobcentre Plus in north Kensington which is also open to residents as well as nearby Jobcentre Plus offices in Hammersmith, Shepherd’s Bush, Fulham, and Westminster. For details see the Jobcentre Plus website www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk.
Kensington Recruitment are a recruitment agency specialising in helping people with learning, physical, mental health or sensory difficulties into employment.
Find out more on our Kensington Recruitment pages.
The New Deal is the government’s programme to help unemployed young people and adults into jobs. Advantages for an employer taking staff on under the New Deal may include a wage subsidy and a grant towards the employee’s training. For more information see www.newdeal.gov.uk.
Other agencies that can provide advice to businesses on a whole range of subjects can be found on the Department for Trade and Industry website.
Many businesses require a licence, for example: hairdressers, pet shops and places of public entertainment. For appropriate advice and guidance covering all aspects of trading, licensing and public health legislation see our licensing page.
The Council funded Portobello Business Centre can assist local people wanting to start up in business. However, there are also some non-council resources available to you:
As part of the national network, Business Link for London delivers impartial, expert and practical business advice to London's small and medium-sized businesses. They offer advice on start-ups, financing, marketing, property and planning. To contact them please see the Business Link for London website.
The Enterprise Agency has help and guidance for a new business start-up. Because it is funded by government and private sponsorship it is provided at no-cost to the budding entrepreneur. You can find your nearest Enterprise Agency on the National Federation of Enterprise Agencies website.
To look for businesses for sale in the area you can look in the local press, or visit some of the many websites that deal with the sale of businesses. A small selection is below:
There are around 600 businesses in the UK that are franchised. To find out what franchising is, and whether it would be suitable for you, see:
Learndirect run a number of courses that may be useful to you including IT and essential business and management skills such as finance, marketing, personnel and health and safety. For more information about Learndirect visit www.learndirect.co.uk.
The Inland Revenue has information on their website especially for people starting up their own business. For further information visit the Inland Revenue website.
There is also a help line run by the Inland Revenue for newly self employed people. Telephone number 0845 9154 515, which is open from 8am - 8pm.
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