JULY 1ST LAUNCH FOR “BUSINESS ADVANTAGE - PHASE 2”

A second phase of “Business Advantage” - Comhairle nan Eilean Siar’s successful small business development programme will be launched formally on Thursday 1st July, having secured two years of additional funding from the European Union, through the Highlands & Islands Special Transitional Programme (HISTP).

The Business Advantage service will continue to provide a comprehensive range of advice, support, and financial assistance packages, to enable business projects throughout the Western Isles to progress. In addition - and for the first time - community enterprises operating within the Social Economy may be eligible for business development assistance from the Comhairle.

Encapsulated under the generic “Business Advantage” umbrella are a range of services and schemes which will be delivered over the next two years. The Comhairle is keen to encourage entrepreneurship amongst young people, and to assist employers to train apprentices through Modern Apprenticeships. To that end, “Youth Enterprise & Apprenticeship" is an important strand of the overall service. As will be assistance to community enterprises and other operators in the social economy, with projects and ideas which promote income-generation, ultimately leading to long-term sustainability.

Financial assistance in the form of interest-free loan packages of up to £10,000 will again be available for new business projects throughout the Western Isles. In addition, the importance to local businesses of marketing their goods and services continues to be recognised as a priority. Grant assistance for a range of marketing activities will be available to applicants, be they new enterprises, existing companies with new proposals, or community-led enterprises.

All this is in addition - and complementary to - assistance already available through other public-sector agencies and from the private sector, in partnership with the Comhairle.

Commenting on the launch of Business Advantage - Phase 2, Chairman of the Comhairle's Sustainable Development committee, Paible Councillor Archie Campbell, said, "The basic fact is that more people could start and run successful businesses in the Western Isles if they had access to the little bit of help and assistance which is required at the appropriate time. The more accessible and straightforward that support can be, the more likely it is to be effective.”

He added, "The Comhairle has long-recognised the perilous state of the Western Isles economy, and has - with the help of the EU through the HISTP programme - committed substantial funding to this project for the next two years. The most significant additional thing about Business Advantage-Phase 2 is that the project will distribute new money throughout the local economy."

Calum Iain MacIver, the Comhairle’s Head of Economic Development added, "As a result of additional EU support for the second phase of Business Advantage - and in partnership with other established bodies, such as Western Isles Enterprise, private sector commercial lenders, and the Prince's Scottish Youth Business Trust (PSYBT) - we aim to strengthen and develop our reputation for quality service delivery within the economic development sector throughout the Western Isles for the foreseeable future".

Mr MacIver continued, "As part of this initiative, we will for the first time also be considering projects from community-based entities who operate in the vitally important and increasingly significant social economy for packages of business development assistance.”
The Business Advantage team in Lewis & Harris continue to operate from the Town Hall, Point Street, Stornoway, and enquirers can source further information by contacting: 01851-707475. In the Uists & Barra, the service is based at the Comhairle offices in Balivanich, and can be contacted by telephoning: 01870-602425.

Nigel Scott
Communications Officer
Comhairle nan Eilean Siar

Tel: 01851 709389 (Work)
Tel: 07884 236103 (Mobile)
email: nscott@cne-siar.gov.uk