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Luton Council’s Business Support Programmes Have Arrived

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“It’s great to see businesses are being provided with the support they deserve through this new set of business support programmes. From digital marketing to AI and sustainability, these programmes are designed to help our local businesses thrive. With more business support programmes to be announced soon, it’s an exciting time to be a business in Luton.” – Councillor James Taylor, Portfolio Holder for Inclusive Economy

Following the success of the last year, Luton Council is introducing new business support programmes that are mainly funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) designed to support businesses from Luton, to drive local economic recovery and growth.

Each support programme will focus on specific topics that are crucial for our local businesses to thrive and addresses needs highlighted by recent local surveys.

Further details about the new programmes can be found below.

Current and Upcoming Business Support Programmes

The AI Business Transformation Programme is a fully funded initiative, delivered by the University of Bedfordshire in partnership with Luton Council. The programme seeks to engage and support local businesses in the journey of AI transformation by providing tailored support and resources.

This will include immersive workshops, bespoke consulting and advice clinics that aim to empower businesses at various readiness levels to understand adopt AI tools in their business.

To sign up for the Luton AI hub please click here.

Thanks to funding from Luton Council through the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) the Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce International Trade Support Programme is back.

This fully funded programme is designed to meet you wherever you are on your exporting journey. Whether you’re making your very first steps into international trade or you’re already selling abroad and want to sharpen your processes, explore new markets or overcome barriers to trade, there’s something here for you.

  • Workshops – up to four online sessions covering the nuts and bolts of exporting: documentation, compliance, duties, tariffs, and more. Think of these as the “essentials toolkit” for doing business overseas.
  • One-to-one support – personalised consultations with experienced trade advisors to help you tackle specifying new markets or overcoming barriers to trade.
  • Tailored guidance and intelligence – so you can make decisions with confidence and spot opportunities before competitors do.
  • Practical resources and tools – to help you manage the day-to-day realities of exporting smoothly and efficiently.

This programme is completely free and open to all eligible businesses in Luton, but places are limited, and demand is always high. If you’d like to take part, please email export@chamber-business.com to secure your place.

If you’re ready to take your business to the next level, the Luton Elevate – Business Growth Launchpad is here to help. Get free access to expert mentoring, workshops, and masterclasses covering leadership, finance, strategy, marketing, and more. You’ll also have the chance to apply for a growth grant to put your plans into action. Whether you’re looking to lead better, plan smarter, or grow sustainably, this programme gives you the tools and support you need to succeed.

Sign up to grow your business with free export support here.

Success Stories

“We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to develop a strong sustainability plan and are grateful for the insights gained along the way. Already, we’re putting it into action, making meaningful changes that align with our long-term goals”

Gavin O'Brien , Co-Founder & CEO, Clearhead

“It was a pleasure to work with the University of Bedfordshire on this, to share skills and expertise on how we can tackle these issues in a practical way”

Nuala Ely, Office Manager & Social Activities Lead, Luton Irish Forum

“Attending the University of Bedfordshire’s workshop was a great opportunity to see the initiative supporting Luton businesses in promoting sustainability, driving renewable innovation, and reducing costs for a greener, more efficient future”

Eddie Doherty, Managing Director, Renewable EDtricity Services LTD

“I found this was a great free course for local businesses and really helped us to think about how we can improve on our own corporate sustainability and find ways of reducing our company’s environmental impact”

Matthew Tiller, Head of Technical Services, Thermal Economics Limited

“The training sessions were brilliant and really engaging. I believe the training was beneficial because I was able to get a better understanding of our immediate marketing needs”

Kevin Umeano, Kootek Consulting
“The course contents was comprehensive, covering all essential aspects of social media strategy. The availability for free 1:1 mentoring sessions was a game-changer, providing personalised guidance tailored to my business needs. Overall, this course significantly enhanced my marketing skills and boosted my business’s digital presence. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to elevate their marketing knowledge.”
Sebastian, East Fest - Events Maestros C.I.C
“The information was clear and well explained. I found that I learnt of new terms such as brand kit and it inspired me to start creating formal documents. “
Kiaran Hide, Zero to One

“The workshop addressed important aspects related to marketing strategy and also covered the legal requirements to ensure that we remain compliant, such as GDPR, the use of images, and the rights associated with them. Developing a marketing strategy is not easy and the more knowledge we have about best practices, the more efficient we can become. I have attended many workshops before, and can honestly say that within two hours, the knowledge presented provided a solid foundation regarding the complexities of marketing and highlighted the areas we should focus on.

The way information was presented was very straightforward, which helped me better understand what a marketing strategy is about and what I should prioritise. Of course, Marketing is a vast field, but Stacey provided us with key areas to focus. Thank you!”

Ewa Pastwa, Bright Tax Limited
“I loved the training, I think as I don’t work in an office where lots of new systems and technology I feel a little behind the times so initially the first session I was on, I didn’t get some of the abbreviations but the second session I felt a bit more in touch.”
Alison Edwards , The Treatment Room
“I found the training very enlightening and increasing awareness of new/additional possibilities for digital marketing tools.”
Fran Webster, Kip McGrath Luton North

Previous Business Support Programmes

Our 2025/26 business support programmes have now come to an end. During their delivery they over achieved on the following:

  • 350 businesses given non-financial support
  • 147 potential entrepreneurs given start-up advice
  • 7 businesses seeing early-stage revenue increases
  • 43 new jobs created
  • 56 businesses adopted new to the firm technologies or processes

Luton Online: Digital Marketing Launchpad returned in 2025 to support local businesses in building essential digital marketing skills, helping them to connect with their customers and promote their business online.

Building off of the success from last year, the programme offered free expert guidance through:

  • Face-to-face bite size workshops
  • Interactive online webinars
  • On-demand learning
  • One-to-one mentoring

All on demand content was also available in multiple languages to support non-native English speakers.

 

Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with Wenta, gave opportunities to any ex Vauxhall employees who wanted to start their own business. They provided over 100 hours of 1:1 expert business support along with a free 12 month membership for the Chamber of Commerce which provides a wide array of benefits.

The previous business support programmes that we ran in the 2024/25 financial year were a resounding success with the following delivered:

  • 178 businesses given non-financial support
  • 11 businesses receiving grants
  • 13 new jobs created
  • 41 businesses adopted new to the firm technologies or processes

Our businesses should continually engage with their customers to drive footfall and spending in store as well as support online sales. Marketing experts Let’s Do Business Group delivered the Luton Online: Digital Marketing Launchpad which delivered:

  • Free face to face workshops, webinars, on-demand learning that businesses could choose from to best suit their needs and skills gaps for digital marketing.
  • 1:1 mentoring on how to best grow your business with digital marketing.
  • On completing this course 28 of the businesses went on to adopt New to Firm Technologies.
  • We received high demands for this course with 178 registrants of which 112 completed some level of training.
  • 13 grants were agreed upon in which 11 were delivered.

This business support programme concluded in March 2025.

Sustainability has become an important worldwide issue in the past decade with many countries, business leaders and residents taking up different forms of action. Luton Council has the goal of becoming a net zero town by 2040 to support sustainable growth and a healthier environment. The award winning University of Bedfordshire has provided business support such as:

  • 1:1 support to help implement net zero actions.
  • Helped develop of effective travel plans to reduce the impact on the environment.
  • We have given access to expert-led workshops to develop green marketing strategies & implement lean thinking methodologies.

This business support programme concluded in March 2025.

These interactive workshop’s looked at the practical issues on growing a high growth potential SME with external funding and helped businesses explore the following areas:

• Angel money or VC and what they would look for in businesses

• Other Sources of potential funding – ie Bank Finance, grants,

• Alternatives to external funding – organic growth from accelerating sales & improved account management

• What to look for in external funding, ie what should a pitch Deck or Business Plan contain?

• Fundraising best practice and key mistakes to avoid

• Valuation of their business and terminology

This business support programme concluded in January 2025.

In partnership with Bedfordshire Chamber of Commerce, the 1:1 sessions they were able to provide gave tailored support to businesses that helped them overcome trade barriers and explore new markets through understanding the following areas:

• Understanding the practicalities of international trade

• Support the development of a marketing roadmap to help attract international clients to their website

• Support with dedicated documentation and customs declaration service

• Training to ensure companies are up to date with Incoterms, VAT implications, rules of origin, commodity codes and more

• Access to Chamber Finance Finder to mitigate the risk of trading in foreign markets

This business support programme concluded in March 2025.

Small businesses and charities in Luton can access free energy efficiency advice and support through the Energy Doctor programme, delivered by environment charity Groundwork East in partnership with Luton Borough Council.

The Luton Energy Doctor will provide free support to enable businesses and charitable organisations working within Luton to identify quick wins and longer-term energy efficiency actions, and to signpost to funding and further support.

This support will help businesses make informed decisions about which energy efficiency solution is best for them.

Through the scheme, businesses will receive energy audits and assessments with the aim that they can use the information to make quick, practical and tangible savings whether in operational energy consumption or energy costs.

This business support programme concluded in May 2025