Brighton leads way as NatWest launches ten hubs giving free services to start-ups

NATWEST bank is launching ten entrepreneur hubs at branches across the UK to provide advice and facilities to start-up companies.

The hubs are being launched in partnership with accountancy giant KPMG and start-up network Entrepreneurial Spark, with the first opening at a branch in Brighton last week.

Two more will open in Leeds and Bristol later this month, with seven more in other cities including Manchester, Cardiff and Newcastle next year.

Small Business Minister Anna Soubry has welcomed the scheme, saying the Brighton site would ‘promote enterprise in the region’.

The sites will give free IT services, free wi-fi and access to business mentors.

John Cridland, director general of employers’ group the Confederation of British Industry, also welcomed the move, saying what small businesses needed were banks that knew their customers and which developed personal relationships with small company bosses.

Iain Moffatt, head of national markets at KPMG, said starting a business was daunting, particularly with the burden of red tape and ‘the myriad of incentives, reliefs and schemes. It’s no small wonder entrepreneurs consistently tell us they need more support’.

The hub launch coincides with NatWest’s latest research on public views on starting up businesses. It found that almost half of people would prefer to be self-employed and 27 per cent think now is a good time to set up a business. But less than five per cent are actively considering starting a business.