Today, the British Business Bank announces it will commit up to £150m capital to support a fund aimed at high-growth businesses across the North of England. The proposed Northern scale-up fund will provide larger scale investment to innovative scale-up businesses seeking capital to accelerate their growth and expansion.

Offshore Energies UK (OEUK) has written to the Chancellor John Healey asking for urgent talks ahead of October’s Budget to reaffirm the Government’s commitment to a new tax regime for North Sea oil and gas production. Geopolitical volatility is affecting energy security and eroding investor confidence in the North Sea.

Rachel Beck didn't set out to build a supplement brand. She set out to find work that actually meant something. Growing up in Steeton, a small village in Yorkshire, Rachel was the middle of three children and developing, early on, both the drive to push herself and the instinct to care for those around her.

If you ask someone what makes their neighbourhood special, they won’t list the square footage of the local buildings. They will tell you about the independent shop where the barista knows their order, the park where they walk their dog, or the square where the weekend markets come alive.

Peel Ports Group, the UK’s second-largest port operator, has appointed international shipping executive Audrey Dolhen as Chief Operating Officer, Unitised. Dolhen joins the executive board from ZIM Shipping, where she served as managing director for the UK, bringing over two decades of container shipping and logistics experience.

Tunley Environmental has launched its new Guide to Sustainable Pharmaceuticals, providing pharmaceutical and medical device organisations with a practical roadmap for navigating carbon, compliance, product lifecycle assessment, supply chains and environmental risk. The pharmaceutical sector faces a particularly complicated sustainability challenge.

One of the world’s largest pipelay vessels, Saipem’s Castorone, has arrived in the Southern North Sea, marking the opening of an exciting chapter for the Northern Endurance Partnership (NEP), bringing one of the UK’s first carbon capture and storage networks closer to reality.

Work is underway on a major stage lighting and electrical infrastructure upgrade at Northern School of Contemporary Dance (NSCD) in Leeds, which will significantly enhance its renowned Riley Theatre and transform its lighting studio into an interactive digital space.

A three-pronged sustainability strategy focusing on fleet, buildings and waste is being launched by Ipsum Group, as the business ramps up its journey to net zero.

The IoD Directors’ Economic Confidence Index, which measures business leader optimism over prospects for the UK economy, rose to -49 in August, from -63 in July 2026. Conversely, business leaders became slightly less optimistic about the prospects for their own organisations, with confidence falling to -5, from -2 in July.

Patient.info has launched a new medical AI assistant tool that combines conversational technology with the health information provider's established library of clinically-reviewed health information. The free tool is available through the existing Patient.info website, and is designed to help people understand their health and find reliable, trusted medical information more easily.

The introduction of new technology in the business world often brings both excitement and apprehension. While some are enthusiastic about change, others meet it with resistance, a reaction that is frequently mistaken for a modern phenomenon. In truth, resistance to innovation has existed throughout human history.

More than two thirds of SME business leaders are grappling with finding time to step back and work on the business due to being stuck in the day-to-day, according to new research. This was cited as the biggest challenge facing SMEs (68%), followed by the rising cost of doing business (51%) and balancing investment in growth with day-to-day operations (48%).

Business confidence in Yorkshire fell 15 points during August to 46%, according to the latest Business Barometer from Lloyds. Companies in Yorkshire reported lower confidence in their own trading outlook month-on-month, down eight points at 52%. When taken alongside their optimism in the economy, down 22 points to 40%, this gives a headline confidence reading of 46% (vs. 61% in July 2026).

Retail sales volumes fell at a steep pace in the year to August, according to the CBI’s latest quarterly Distributive Trades Survey. Next month, sales are expected to decline at a slower rate. The prolonged period of weak demand continues to weigh on retailers’ sentiment, which fell at a faster pace in August.

Businesses in York and North Yorkshire are set to benefit from a new round of export support with £300,000 of grants available. The fourth round of Get Exporting will open to applications on Tuesday, September 1. Grants between £3,000 and £10,000 will be on offer to drive sales across the world.

A major Yorkshire accountancy and business advisory firm has warned SMEs could face ‘an Autumn cashflow crisis’ if they don’t prepare properly for key October tax deadlines. Many businesses face three key payment deadlines in October: Corporation Tax (01/10), VAT returns (07/10) and PAYE Settlement Agreement (19/10 postal payments, 22/10 for electronic and online payments).

Britain’s youth unemployment crisis is the symptom of a wider cost of doing business problem. The CBI’s youth employment report ‘Opportunity in Every Postcode: Ensuring Young People Have Options, Wherever They Live’, shows that growth is needed to move the dial for more than a million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET).

Lancashire-based technology and waste specialist firm, Envirovue, is set to double in size over the next 12 months as it gears up for its next phase of expansion. Having welcomed 13 new employees over the past year, Envirovue is expanding its presence at Hardmans Business Centre in Rawtenstall to accommodate its growing team after forecasting 100 per cent growth for the fifth consecutive year.