Runnymede has been ranked as the most competitive place in the UK outside of London. The UK Competitiveness Index for 2021 ranks Runnymede as the ninth most competitive place out of 362 UK boroughs.

Competitiveness measures the capability of an economy to attract and maintain firms with stable or rising market shares in an activity, while maintaining stable or increasing standards of living for those who participate in it.

This latest index which is compiled by researchers at Cardiff University and Nottingham Business School accounts for the disruption caused by the twin shocks of Brexit and the Covid-19 global pandemic.

Cllr Nick Prescot, Leader of Runnymede Borough Council, said “This is fantastic news for Runnymede. It confirms what local firms have been telling us, that Runnymede is a great place to do business. The Council wants to ensure that the Borough continues to be a leading economy in Surrey and the wider sub-region and will be setting out its priorities in a new local Economy Development Strategy for 2022-2026”.

Temporary and precautionary measures to prevent the spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant in the UK came into force on Tuesday 30 November.

Would you like to get advice and financial support to invest in digital technology to help boost your business performance?

Help to Grow Digital is a new Government backed scheme launching in December 2021. If your business is eligible, you can get a discount of up to 50% towards the costs of buying approved software, worth up to £5,000.

Are you an innovative driven SME with ambitions to grow? Do you need help to develop a commercial strategy? Would you benefit from help with sourcing funding and finance? If the answer is yes, then Innovate UK Edge can help by providing bespoke support to help you innovate and grow.

SMEs in Runnymede may be eligible for grants of up to £10,000, to help implement energy efficiency measures. Funding is also available to support business development for companies providing green services.

Twenty four local businesses and homes in Chertsey are taking part in the town`s biggest advent calendar. A new window will be revealed at 6pm every day in the lead up to Christmas.

Why not visit and check out the new windows each day?

With the ending of 'Staged Customs Controls' on 31st December, what impact will a fully controlled UK border have on traders.

For lots of traders, the UK departure from the EU customs union has brought little change. Supplies have continued to arrive at their business, there has been no real increase in paperwork and their EU suppliers seem happy to keep delivering.

If this is your business, our webinar will cover what records you should have kept but didn't. What customs entries you should have made but missed. And more importantly, what action you can take now to avoid future fines and penalties.

Thursday, 9 December

⏰ 10am – 11am

Network with hundreds of small businesses from across the UK as part of the FSB’s biggest networking event, ever!

Wednesday, 15 December 2021,

⏰ 10am – 11:30am

The expo is an excellent opportunity to meet people face to face and to see as many potential customers as possible over two days at The Surrey Sports Park, Guildford.

Tuesday and Wednesday, 18 and 19 January

⏰ 9am – 3pm

Join us on social media, where we will be posting regular updates on our Twitter and Instagram accounts. Our LinkedIn account has now moved to:

Runnymede Borough Council LinkedIn

Using social media has become an important tool for success this year, we've seen some really inventive ideas and ways of engaging with customers.

Come and say hello and follow us! We are happy to share your posts and profiles.