Business growth team provides support to hundreds of Wolverhampton businesses

Forty-five businesses benefitted through its grants programme – leading to the creation of 83 new jobs and the safeguarding of a further 179 jobs in Wolverhampton.

The business growth team exceeded its targets using the £1.3m UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) government funding it was allocated through Business Growth West Midlands to help companies with capital investment and energy efficiency measures.

The total projected growth in turnover of the businesses it supported with grants is expected to equate to around £14.5million in the year ahead.

Also providing free local diagnostic and business support service, the team dealt with 700 business enquiries over the past 12 months and 200 diagnostic checks were carried out.

Councillor Chris Burden, Wolverhampton Council cabinet member for city development, jobs and skills, said: “In Wolverhampton, we are utilising the UKSPF funding to support SMEs in maximising their offer and capitalising on opportunities being generated by investment in our city.

“Throughout 2024/25 our business growth team has collaborated with small but highly ambitious businesses to help them make and secure investment, create and sustain jobs, develop new products and services, and access new UK and overseas markets.

“Our city economy is underpinned by creative thinking, innovation, ambition, skills, and sheer hard work and we want to do everything we can to support this through our grants programme.

Gabitie and Ceandess are two of the Wolverhampton businesses supported by the grants.

Support towards the acquisition of a laser cutter and a standing seam cladding machine will enable metal processing company Gabitie to launch new ranges such as garden offices and focus on entering the lucrative domestic extensions market.

The acquisition of a tube bending and forming machine will provide Ceandes, which supplies and manufactures fuel and oil fillers, base and filler assemblies, and fuel engine and hydraulic filter caps, with a strong platform to access the lucrative Australian and Canadian mining markets by offering formed tubes alongside their existing range.

The window for expressions of interest in Wolverhampton Council’s latest round of business grants to support city businesses with capital investment and low carbon projects is now open and closes on April 30, 2025.

It is likely the average grant available will be up to £20,000 for projects costing £40,000 or more.

Higher grants could be available depending on the impact of the investment - but grants will be capped at no more than 50 per cent of the project cost.

Applications for the grants are on a competitive basis, subject to availability of funds, and distributed at the discretion of the council.