Access to finance remains a postcode lottery for UK small businesses

""This evidence shows that where your business is located has an influence on your ability to access finance, not just at a regional level, but also at a sub-regional level,""

""The problem we are trying to solve is to ensure that businesses across the UK have access to capital and, where they have potential, we are supporting that potential,""

"He added that new debt and equity programmes would ensure that high-growth, high-potential businesses can access capital "wherever they are based"."

Geography strongly affects small business access to finance, with deprived urban areas facing lower approval rates for credit cards, overdrafts and loans. Firms in disadvantaged areas seek funding more often but are more likely to be discouraged from applying due to previous rejections or perceived lender barriers. Sub-regional location within towns and cities also matters for borrowing prospects. New debt and equity programmes and a £340 million rollout of regional funds next April aim to expand the supply of debt and equity capital across the east and southeast, completing a nationwide network of state-backed investment vehicles.

Read at Business Matters