We deliver a programme of promotional activity to encourage and secure new inward investment and reduce barriers to growth for businesses looking to relocate or expand. We work to attract investment in key employment sites and regeneration schemes to help create high value jobs.
This project is funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund provides £900 million of funding for local investment in 2025/26. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund 2025-26 and Shared Prosperity Fund Prospectus.
Cheshire East Councils UKSPF Business Support Programme is a mix of support activities and grants for eligible businesses:
The Business Support Hub is an online support hub for entrepreneurs and small business owners that provides a range of tools and services including; on-demand webinars and training videos, a schedule of live workshops and masterclasses covering key topics from cash-flow forecasting to developing a sales pitch as well as a suite of useful business templates and guides needed to start and run a business.
Business growth programme
The Growth Programme is offering grants from £5,000 up to a maximum of £25,000 per business to support eligible investments identified within the business’s Growth Plan.
Eligibility criteria:
- trading from a property based in the Cheshire East Council boundary can apply for a grant
- must have a Business Growth Plan in place to support the need for the grant. Assistance with developing these plans is fully funded through the programme Business Support Hub
- apply via an online application form
- must be an existing SME, trading for at least 12 months. To qualify as an SME the business must have fewer than 250 employees and less than or equal to £44m in annual turnover or a balance sheet total of less than or equal to £38m
- only expenditure that occurs after the 1 April 2025 will be eligible
- businesses must hold a business bank account
- has not reached subsidy control limit over a 3 year period
Refer to the Growth Grant Programme Scheme policy (PDF, 193KB) for full details of the Business Growth Programme including examples of eligible expenditure.
All live grant schemes are supported by the Business Support Hub.
All our grant schemes are paid retrospectively once full payment of items can be evidenced.
When making an application to any of our grant schemes above you will be taken to an external website called ‘Grant Approval’. You will need to register with an email address to access the applications. Once registered you will be able to search for the schemes.
Cheshire East Business Accelerator
The aim of this programme is to accelerate business growth in high value start-ups and SME’s. The programme will include bootcamps for entrepreneurs in Cheshire East and is open to all types of businesses to apply, with a focus on life science and tech businesses.
For more information about the Accelerator programme and to apply, please visit Bruntwood SciTech’s website
Repurposing our High Streets Grant scheme
The Repurposing our High Streets grant scheme is aimed at supporting businesses and organisations to take on empty premises in Crewe Town Centre.
Led by Cheshire East Council and overseen by Crewe Town Board, the project includes a grant scheme for businesses and organisations that wish to take on vacant commercial premises in the town centre.
Available support
Capital grants of up to £30,000* for businesses/ organisations taking leases on vacant town premises, supporting their costs in improving the property for their occupation including fit-out costs, as well as other capital equipment purchased.
Capital grants of up to £30,000* for businesses/ organisations taking leases on vacant town premises, supporting their costs in improving the property for their occupation including fit-out costs, as well as other capital equipment purchased.
* The amount of grant will depend on the type of property and the length of lease taken. For example, shorter-term ‘meanwhile use’ businesses would receive a smaller grant than those businesses committing to a five-year lease.
* This is a retrospective scheme.
Eligibility Criteria:
- Businesses (including sole traders, community enterprises and charities) and some organisations that take on new leases of previously vacant commercial premises in Crewe town centre.
- Employs less than 50 people.
- Has a turnover of £10.2 million or less.
- Less than £1.5m on balance sheet.
- Has not reached Subsidy control limit over a 3 year period.
- Be taking on a new lease on a vacant commercial property within Crewe Town Centre.
- Some types of organisations would not normally be considered eligible, and priority will be given to applicants diversifying the mix of town centre business uses.
Apply for a grant
Enquiries should be made by emailing ROHS@cheshireeast.gov.uk
This grant is funded by UK Government and powered by Levelling up and is part of a package of projects being supported by the Government’s Towns Fund and Crewe’s allocation of up to £22.9m of funding.
* All applications are being reviewed; however, due to the high volume we are receiving, there may be a delay in the processing of applications.
The Business Support Hub, Business Growth Programme and Business Accelerator are funded by the UK government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The UK Shared Prosperity Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK, investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills.
For more information, visit UK Shared Prosperity Fund Prospectus
