Birmingham and Solihull Growth Hub
Welcome to the Birmingham and Solihull Growth Hub
Who we are
We deliver the Business Growth West Midlands support service through the Growth Hub and act as a central contact point for business support and advice for small and medium-sized businesses in the Birmingham and Solihull region.
Our goal is to help businesses grow and succeed. We are fully funded, independent and impartial. Our support is free.
We have helped over 7,000 local businesses so far. Together, we’ve secured more than £7.4 million in funding and created 4,623 new jobs.
Our business advisers and account managers
Our advisers understand business. Many have run their own companies or held senior roles.
To give you the right support, we’ll start with a business review. This helps us understand your goals and any challenges you’re facing.
After the review, we’ll create a tailored action plan that will set out practical steps to help you overcome barriers and grow your business.
How we support businesses
We support eligible businesses at every stage, from starting up to growing and innovating.
Our advisers and account managers support all sectors, including social enterprises and community interest companies (CICs).
You can get support in person or online. We also work with specialist partners across the public and private sectors to give you the help you need.
We can support your business in many ways, including:
- access to grants and finance
- 1-to-1 advice from our business advisers and account managers
- business reviews and diagnostics, covering areas such as:
- intellectual property (IP)
- sustainability and net zero
- workforce development
- international trade
- referrals to national, regional and local support providers - including universities and research institutions
- workshops on topics such as:
- human resources
- strategy
- cash flow forecasting
- branding and marketing
- finance brokerage
- entrepreneur knowledge exchange
- sector-specific and capability-based themes
We are independent and impartial. We follow a clear code of conduct to make sure our referrals are fair and based on your needs.
We will only connect you with organisations we believe can offer real value to your business.
Many of our partners offer free support. If there are any costs, we will let you know before you commit.
Information, Diagnostic and Brokerage (IDB) support
Our support is designed to help you make informed decisions about your business.
It’s important to know that advice from the Growth Hub is not professional advice. We won’t tell you what to do - instead, we will give you information to help you decide your own course of action.
Under the IDB delivery model, we follow clear boundaries to make sure our service stays impartial and focused on your needs, to identify opportunities and barriers to growth through our engagement with businesses.
However, delivering the support itself is not part of the Growth Hub’s role. If specific support is needed, we’ll refer you to the right organisation to help.
How much support you can expect
The support you receive depends on your needs and circumstances.
We are not consultants, and sometimes your business may benefit more from working with other delivery partners or private sector providers. Most businesses work with us for between 3 and 12 hours over a 12-month period.
The support we provide is covered by the Subsidy Control Act 2022.
You won’t be charged for our services, but we must tell you the value of the support you receive. This is usually done once a year. This helps ensure transparency and keeps us compliant with UK subsidy rules.
The value of the support you receive is based on how much time we spend working with you. As mentioned earlier, most businesses engage with us depending on their needs. We don’t set strict limits on support, but sometimes we may need to pause or delay further help due to capacity. If that happens, we’ll let you know and aim to continue support when resources allow.
The support we provide is subject to the Subsidy Control Act 2022. Under current rules, a business must not receive more than £315,000 in total support over a rolling 3-year period. This includes the current financial year and the 2 previous years, across all public-funded programmes covered by subsidy control.
We will let you know the value of any support we provide, so you can track it and stay within the limit.
From April 2025 to March 2026, the Business Growth West Midlands service has introduced a support cap of £1,000. This amount contributes to your total under the Subsidy Control threshold. You won’t be charged for our services, but we’re required to report the value of the support you receive.
How we are able to provide our services free of charge
The UK Government launched the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) to support businesses across the UK. It replaces the EU Structural Funds, which ended when the UK left the European Union.
The UKSPF runs until March 2026 and aims to help businesses improve productivity, grow sustainably, increase turnover and create new jobs.
In the West Midlands, UKSPF funding is managed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA). It’s then passed on to local councils - in our case, Birmingham City Council and Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council - who work with the Growth Hub to deliver support.
How we assess your eligibility to receive funded support
Support from the Growth Hub is funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), so there’s no cost to your business.
However, we can only work with businesses that meet the UKSPF eligibility criteria.
To receive support, your business must meet 2 key criteria:
- be based in either the Birmingham or Solihull local authority area
- not have received more than £315,000 in subsidy-controlled support over the current and previous 2 financial years
To check if your business is eligible for support, we ask you to complete the Business Support Enrolment Form - if you haven’t already. Once we receive your completed form, we aim to review it and respond within 2 working days.
We’re only able to support businesses that choose to enrol.
Data and privacy
When you work with us, we may share details about your business and the support you receive with:
- West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA)
- Birmingham City Council (BCC)
- Solihull Metropolitan Borough Council (SMBC)
This can include things like:
- enquiries and support provided
- grants applied for or received
- events attended
- meetings, calls and emails
- supporting documents and reports
- time spent and outcomes
- referrals and follow-up actions
By engaging with us, you agree to us sharing this information with these organisations.
Customer charter
This policy applies to anyone contacting the Growth Hub - whether for themselves, on behalf of someone else, or representing a business or group. It covers all types of contact.
We treat everyone with courtesy, respect and fairness. In return, our team has the right to work in a safe environment, free from abuse or intimidation.
We may stop providing support if these standards are not respected.
Useful links
- Learn more about how supports businesses, including events and programmes here.
- For information about Birmingham City Council business and licensing services.
- If your business is based in Solihull, you may find useful.
- Birmingham and Solihull Growth Hub Your Gateway to Business Success
How to contact us
The Growth Hub service is available from 9:00am to 5:00pm, Monday to Friday.
- Phone: 0121 303 6800
- Email: bsgh@birmingham.gov.uk
We aim to respond to all enquiries within 2 working days.
We check emails and web form enquiries Monday to Friday. You can also leave us a voicemail.
Page lst updated: 20 August 2025