The signing of a new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) and North East Enterprise Agency (NEEAL), marks another significant step forward in collaborative enterprise support across the region.
The agreement brings together FSB North East and all seven NEEAL partners – the North East BIC, TEDCO, Project North East, Enterprise Made Simple, CDC Enterprise Agency, Northumberland Businesses Services and South Durham Enterprise Agency – in a formal partnership designed to enhance support for start-ups and growing businesses.
Reshma Begum, Regional Business and Stakeholder Manager for FSB in the North East, said: “This MOU is not the beginning of collaboration – it’s the strengthening of it. FSB and NEEAL partners have long shared a commitment to supporting small businesses, and this formal agreement allows us to work even more closely to ensure entrepreneurs receive the wraparound support they need to start, grow and thrive in a way that’s meaningful to them.
“We want entrepreneurs to know that they aren’t alone. There’s a whole ecosystem here to catch them and help them succeed. This MOU is a symbol of that commitment – wherever they enter the network, they’ll be guided seamlessly to the help they need.”
FSB is not-for-profit, non-party political and the largest business support organisation, representing small to medium enterprises and the self-employed across the UK. Members receive an exclusive package of great value business support services, and crucially, a powerful voice in government both at local and national levels. FSB aims to enable smaller businesses to achieve their ambitions.
The MoU aligns with FSB’s regional priorities, which include growing the business population sustainably, supporting underrepresented groups in enterprise, and building a stronger, more inclusive economy.
The agreement builds on a growing spirit of collaboration across the region’s enterprise landscape. It follows similar moves, such as the recent MoU between NEEAL and the North East Chamber of Commerce, reflecting a unified approach to supporting the business community.
Paul McEldon, Chief Executive of the North East BIC and Chair of NEEAL, added: “This new agreement with FSB is part of a collective effort to simplify the journey into enterprise and ensure that every business has the tools and support to succeed. This is about building a resilient, inclusive economy where every entrepreneur has the opportunity to succeed.
“We’ve always believed that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. By joining forces with organisations that share our values, we can make the business support landscape more accessible, visible and impactful for small businesses that are the backbone of our economy.”
As well as strengthening service delivery, the MoU sets out a framework for deeper collaboration between partners. This includes regular communication to share feedback and explore opportunities, joint planning to co-design programmes and align efforts, and resource sharing – such as knowledge, contacts and venues – to maximise collective impact.
It also commits partners to approaching challenges collaboratively and constructively, ensuring that shared goals remain at the heart of the partnership.
Reshma added: “In the North East, we’ve always worked together. We know that we achieve far more as a collective than we ever could as individual organisations. This MoU is about strengthening that collaboration and putting the needs of small businesses first to give them the best possible support.”
