Updated 16 April 2012
New Enterprise Allowance (NEA)
On 5 October 2010 the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions announced that the Government will give extra help to unemployed people who want to start their own business, through the New Enterprise Allowance (NEA).
NEA is available to Jobseekers Allowance (JSA) claimants aged 18 and over who have been claiming for 26-weeks or more.
Participants will get access to a volunteer business mentor who will provide guidance and support as they develop their business plan and through the early months of trading. Once a claimant can demonstrate they have a viable business proposition with the potential for growth in the future, they will be able to access financial support. This will consist of:
- a weekly allowance worth £1,274 over 26 weeks, paid at £65 a week for the first 13 weeks and £33 a week for a further 13 weeks, and
- the facility to access a loan of up to £1,000 to help with start-up costs, subject to status.
The total package of support could be worth up to £2,274 to each participant who starts their own business.
On this page:
- Rollout of NEA
- Successful applicants
- Questions about NEA or the rollout
- NEA loan service providers
- Merseyside partnership opportunities
- Enterprise Clubs
Rollout of NEA
- 31 January to 30 September 2011 – we have been testing the NEA model in six local authority districts in Merseyside.
- End of April to end of June 2011 – there was a staged rollout covering 17 districts.
- From 31 August 2011 – national rollout is now complete.
Successful applicants
The successful applications for funding to help deliver NEA in the Jobcentre Plus districts are detailed below.
| Jobcentre Plus district | Successful applicant |
|---|---|
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | Wenta |
| Birmingham and Solihull | A4E |
| Black Country | Black Country Chamber of Commerce |
| Cumbria and Lancashire | Cumbria Chamber of Commerce |
| Derbyshire | Business in the Community |
| Devon and Cornwall | West Devon BIP Ltd |
| Durham and Tees Valley | North East Enterprise Agency Ltd |
| East and South East Scotland | West Lothian Council |
| East Anglia | Ixion Holdings Ltd |
| East London | Avanta Enterprises Ltd |
| Essex | Ixion Holdings Ltd |
| Glasgow, Lanarkshire and East Dunbartonshire | Glasgow City Council |
| Gloucestershire and West of England | Gloucestershire Enterprises Ltd |
| Greater Manchester Central and Cheshire | Blue Orchid Management Consultants Ltd |
| Greater Manchester East and West | Blue Orchid Management Consultants Ltd |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | Enterprise First (Southern) Ltd |
| Kent | Avanta Enterprises Ltd |
| Leicestershire and Northamptonshire | Pinnacle People Enterprise |
| Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire and Rutland | NBV Enterprise Solutions Ltd |
| Mercia (Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire) | Business Enterprise Support Ltd |
| Merseyside | St Helens Chamber and Blue Orchid Management Consultants Ltd |
| North and Mid Wales | A4E |
| North East Yorkshire and the Humber | Business Support and Development Ltd |
| North London | North London Business Ltd |
| North of Scotland | Claverhouse Training |
| Northumberland, Tyne and Wear | Gateshead Council |
| South East Wales | A4E |
| South London | Ixion Holdings Ltd |
| South West Wales | A4E |
| South Yorkshire | Doncaster Chamber of Commerce |
| Staffordshire and Shropshire | Business Enterprise Support Ltd |
| Surrey and Sussex | Ten Sixty Six Enterprise |
| Thames Valley | Pinnacle People Enterprise |
| Wessex | YTKO Ltd |
| West London | Greater London Enterprises Ltd |
| West of Scotland | A4E |
| West Yorkshire | West Yorkshire Enterprise Agency Ltd |
Questions about NEA or the rollout
We have published answers to questions that have been asked by prospective applicants.
- NEA Questions and Answers Log (48KB)
(updated 1 July 2011)
NEA loans service providers
If a new business needs start-up capital, they may also be able to access a loan up to £1,000 to help with their start-up costs. Contracts have been awarded for the delivery of the loans service.
There are 8 regional contracts for the delivery of the loans service for the rest of Great Britain.
| Region | Loan Service Provider |
|---|---|
| Central England | Community Development Finance Association |
| London and the Home Counties | GLE |
| Merseyside | East Lancashire Moneyline |
| North East England | The Five Lamps Organisation |
| North West England | Business Finance Solutions |
| Scotland | GLE |
| Southern England | Ten Sixty Six Enterprise |
| Wales | GLE |
Merseyside trailblazer
We are currently working with St Helens Chamber to deliver mentoring support for the New Enterprise Allowance trailblazer in Merseyside, referral activity will continue under the existing arrangement until March 2013.
If you wish to be become a member of the St Helens Chamber partnership on a voluntary basis, please contact ann.holcroft@sthelenschamber.com.
You will need to demonstrate where your membership would add value.
The decision as to which members are recruited into the partnership rests with the St Helens Chamber.
Enterprise Clubs
Enterprise Clubs are a Great Britain wide initiative which aims to support the development of a network of locally led, community based support targeted at unemployed people interested in self-employment.
