Business Support in Newcastle City Centre: Free Advice, Funding and Workspace

If you are starting or running a business in Newcastle, the city centre is the best-connected place in the region to find help. The library, the local enterprise agency, the Chamber of Commerce, the city's investment team and the business improvement company all have their offices within a short walk of Monument, and most of the advice they give costs nothing. Here is who does what.

Start online: the North East Growth Hub

The North East Growth Hub is the region's front door for business support, backed by the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority and part of the government's Business Growth Service. It brings together a directory of support, a funding and finance section covering grants and loans, practical toolkits on starting up, finance, markets and net zero, and an events calendar for the whole region. You can also book an appointment with one of its business growth advisers, who give impartial advice and point you to the right programme or source of finance.

Grants open and close through the year, so check the Growth Hub before you build a plan around any single scheme.

Best for: Best for: a first look at what support and funding applies to your business right now.

Business and IP Centre at the City Library

The Business and IP Centre North East (BIPC) is on Level 3 of Newcastle City Library on New Bridge Street West. It covers intellectual property (patents, trademarks, designs and copyright), business and market research resources, and a programme of business events, workshops and networking sessions held at the library and in community venues across the region.

Its Experts in Residence scheme offers short one-to-one sessions, usually online and lasting 30 to 45 minutes, with local advisers on subjects from start-up advice to marketing, finance, IP and sustainability. Start-up sessions are open to people still setting up; for the other experts you need to be trading in the North East and registered with Companies House or HMRC. Businesses in eligible areas can also apply for extra hours of free expert support through the Citylife Business Support Grant, though this is not available everywhere, so check eligibility on the BIPC site.

Newcastle City Council also points new founders to the Skills Hub in the same building as a drop-in place to find out what help is available.

Best for: Best for: protecting a name or design, market research and free workshops.

Local enterprise agency: PNE

PNE (Project North East) is the local enterprise agency the city council recommends for business courses, workshops and one-to-one support for new businesses. Its office is on Pink Lane, a couple of minutes from Central Station. For start-ups it offers advice and mentoring, help understanding funding options and preparing finance applications, and business plan and cash flow templates. For established firms there is growth advice, leadership coaching and IT support. PNE says many of its services are free through funded programmes, while qualifications, advanced masterclasses and consultancy may carry a fee.

Best for: Best for: one-to-one start-up mentoring and help with a business plan.

Investment and expansion: Invest Newcastle

Invest Newcastle is the city's investment promotion agency, run from Experience North East England at Neville Hall on Westgate Road. Its job is to attract companies to locate and expand in Newcastle, and it works with businesses across professional services, IT and technology, creative and digital, retail and leisure, and other sectors. If you are bringing a business to the city or opening a second site, this is the team to talk to.

Best for: Best for: firms relocating to Newcastle or expanding into the city.

The Chamber of Commerce

The North East England Chamber of Commerce has its head office in Durham and a Newcastle office at the Stamp Exchange on Westgate Road, next to Central Station. It is a membership body, and members get access to advice on importing, exporting and customs, trade compliance training and export documentation, business support services, and a calendar of more than 200 networking events, forums and awards a year. It is the obvious first call if you are about to start selling abroad.

Best for: Best for: international trade advice and structured business networking.

NE1: the city centre's business improvement district

If you already trade inside the city centre, you will meet NE1 sooner or later. NE1 Ltd runs the Newcastle city centre Business Improvement District from Milburn House on Dean Street. City centre businesses with a rateable value of £20,000 or more pay a levy of 1.5% of rateable value, and the current term runs from April 2024 to March 2029 after a 93% yes vote. The money goes on lighting, street cleaning, green spaces, crime reduction, events, transport and accessibility, marketing and networking. Events such as Newcastle Restaurant Week, covered in our Restaurant Week guide, give levy payers a direct way to reach customers.

Best for: Best for: city centre traders who want to get more from the levy they already pay.

Funding routes worth knowing

Alongside the Growth Hub's funding finder, the city council lists several start-up routes. The Business Enterprise Fund offers finance for businesses starting out and growing. The King's Trust (formerly the Prince's Trust) Enterprise Programme supports people aged 18 to 30 with start-up help, access to loan finance and a mentor. The Millin Charity runs start-up training and enterprise grants for women, and government-backed Start Up Loans combine a personal loan with free mentoring. Check each scheme's own site for current terms before you apply.

Workspace in the centre

When the kitchen table stops working, The Racquets Court on College Street is the most flexible option in the centre, with pay-as-you-go hot desks, coworking and virtual office packages and meeting rooms, all a short walk from Haymarket Metro. Several other operators have serviced offices and desks around Grainger Street, the Cloth Market and Westgate Road. For laptop-friendly cafes and free library space, see our guide to the best places to work remotely in Newcastle city centre.

Best for: Best for: a proper desk and a meeting room without a long lease.

First steps

Register with HMRC as self-employed, or with Companies House if you are forming a limited company. Write a one-page plan that explains what you sell and who buys it. Then check the Growth Hub, book a session with PNE or a BIPC expert, and go along to one free event.

Know a business support organisation in Newcastle city centre we have missed? Tell us via our contact page.