Prisk announces new business support pilot for the North East Mark Prisk MP, Minister of State for Business and Enterprise, has announced a major boost to the North East’s economic prospects. The British Library, NESTA (National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts), Newcastle City Council and Northumbria University have agreed on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to examine the set up of a new business support centre in the North East based on the British Library’s critically acclaimed Business & IP Centre.

Annual growth in manufacturing output highest in 15 years Britain's manufacturers have notched up the strongest year of growth for more than a decade and a half as they recover from the deep slump triggered by the financial crisis, according to government figures released today.

National Insurance tax holiday to begin on September 6 The one year National Insurance holiday for start ups, announced in the budget, is set to begin on September 6 but now the Government has now said that some sectors as well as regions of the country will be exempt.

Businesses are having to pay more to borrow than last year Bank fees and costs for SMEs have risen sharply since the end of last year according to a report by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales. The report also says that many small businesses are unable to borrow from banks, because their lending criteria are too restrictive.

They aren't called Dragons for nothing! James Caan's investment practice in the den exposed When Sharon Wright, wanted to increase the profitability of her fledgling business Talpa Products, which produced the award-winning Magnamole product, she did what many entrepreneurs dream of and walked up the famous steps in TV’s Dragons’ Den and walked back down again with a deal done and with the two dragons that she had wanted, for more money than she had asked for. Sounds perfect doesn’t it? However without the cameras, the deal became anything but perfect.

We talk to Wright about what went wrong and why the perfect deal turned so sour.

Businesses set to be hit with raft of new green taxes & fines Thousands of British businesses are set to be liable for significant fines and charges under a new government “green tax” scheme that many don't know about!

Bank chiefs join forces to get business lending back on track The bosses of six of the UK's leading banks are joining forces to form a taskforce designed to help get lending to businesses back on track.

RBS Chief: We are lending to business, they just don't want it! Claims by the Government that UK banks are failing to lend has challenged by the head of RBS today as he detailed their efforts to get cash to small businesses as he announced the banks first profit in three years.

Business Link is far from dead yet claims area MD The head of Business Link Northwest is urging small and medium-sized businesses to continue to make use of its free service while ministers decide on what the make-up of government business support will look like.

One-in One-out rules to stop red tape strangling business announced The business secretary Vince Cable has unveiled his plans to tackle unnecessary red tape in a move which he hopes will hand over more power to individuals and businesses.

UK moves towards part-time work culture in wake of recession New report by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development claims UK economy has lost nearly 1m full-time jobs since the start of the recession

Headhunters believe women should forsake career break to reach the top A new report out today claims that more than half of headhunters believe that women will have to forsake a career break in order to reach the top senior executive positions.

Luke Johnson: TV's Dragons' Den is exploitative & missed opportunity The head of Risk Capital Partners, and former chair of Channel 4, Luke Johnson has today launched a scathing attack on the BBC for what he calls grotesque programmes like Dragons' Den & The Apprentice which fit their in-house prejudices perfectly making business out to be 'ruthless, domineering and egotistical.'

Britain's smaller businesses can now have their own 2012 Olympic dream Supporting the British Olympic and Paralympics teams is no longer the preserve of big business as today saw the launch of the Team 2012 fund, which is looking to raise £25m from Small & Medium sized businesses.

Leadership in Britain is redefined by the economic climate Sound financial decision making and emotional intelligence are the two most defining qualities of successful leadership, according to a recent study, with bosses looking to King & Osborne as role models.

Osborne looks to simplify business tax "spaghetti bowl" The "spaghetti bowl" of UK tax law is to be simplified to cut the burden on business and attract foreign investment, George Osborne has announced.

The Dragons' Den effect wearing off on potential entrepreneurs There has been a dramatic fall in the number of entrepreneurs and people looking to start their own business throwing into doubt the strong belief that the UK business sector has the capacity to lead the recovery in the economy.

Number of business failures drops, but not to 2008 figures The leading business information provider, Equifax, has released its Business Failures Report for the second quarter of this year today. The reports shows a welcome slowing down in the pace of businesses going under compared to earlier in the year and all of 2009, however, the actual number of failures is not quite back to the pre-recession levels of early 2008.

Search begins for 'ecopreneurs' with big ideas for cutting carbon Small businesses with big ideas for tackling climate change are being invited to compete for awards of £40,000 each, as the Shell Springboard programme opens for its sixth year.

Lending by Government's loan guarantee scheme falls 23pc Business lending under the Government's Enterprise Finance Guarantee Scheme fell by 23pc in the six months leading up to the general election, despite ministers' claims that it would support viable companies.