The North East Mayoral Strategic Authority has approved £25.9m for a new region-wide business support system intended to make it easier for companies to find and access help.

Business North East will run from January 2027 to March 2029, combining a regional hub led by the authority with services delivered through each of the North East's seven local authorities.

The model is intended to address fragmentation and duplication in the existing system by creating a “no wrong door” approach. Businesses approaching either the regional hub or their local council should be directed towards the support most relevant to them rather than having to navigate different programmes and providers themselves.

The £25.9m allocation will come from the authority's Integrated Settlement. It follows £7.1m approved in March to maintain business support during a nine-month transition period ending in December, taking the two allocations to £33m.

The regional hub will provide specialist support and run programmes covering areas including access to finance, mentoring and exporting. Local authority teams will maintain relationships with businesses in their areas and connect them with regional and local support.

Business North East will organise support around five programmes covering different stages of starting and growing a company.

Inspire and Explore will focus on encouraging entrepreneurship and developing business ideas. Start will support new businesses, Succeed will target productivity and innovation in established companies and Grow will focus on businesses seeking to scale, access finance or enter new markets.

More than 300 businesses were involved in developing the framework, according to the authority, with access to a more joined-up system emerging as one of the priorities.

North East Chamber of Commerce chief executive John McCabe, who chairs the authority's Business Advisory Council, said the approach was designed to give companies a clearer route through the support available across the region.

CBI regional director Matt Bratton said businesses had been calling for a more joined-up system, but added: “The real test will be whether firms can get the right help quickly.”

Business North East is due to launch formally in January 2027.