New business creation will play a vital role in the post-pandemic economic recovery and the wider levelling up agenda. It also represents a powerful opportunity to strengthen and support people in some of Britain’s most deprived communities and increase their earnings through more fulfilling work.
In Knocking Down Barriers, we surveyed people in some of Newcastle and London’s most deprived areas. While we found no shortage of entrepreneurial potential, we did identify financial and confidence barriers to success – and recommend the government focuses its attention on helping people to overcome these.