Local London Trailblazers: Free start-up support across five boroughs

If you've been sitting on a business idea for a while – maybe between caring responsibilities, managing a health condition or simply trying to find a realistic route back into work – Local London has just launched something that could make the next step feel a lot more doable.

The Local London Trailblazers: Business Start Up Programme is now open, offering free, practical start-up support for residents across Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Havering and Redbridge.

What you get by signing up

The support is built around the realities of starting a business when time, money and headspace are in short supply.

Expect a mix of structured learning and hands-on help, including the following:

• One-to-one support with a dedicated business adviser – the sort of practical conversation that helps turn "an idea" into "a plan".

• Workshops covering essentials like business planning, managing money, marketing, social media, digital skills and confidence.

• Mentoring from people who can check your thinking and share real-world experience.

• Support to use digital and AI tools in a practical way – like to draft content, improve your productivity or create marketing materials.

• Help to build a clear business plan, including costs, pricing, cash flow, customers and routes to market

And, for people who are ready to take the next step, there's also the chance to apply for a start-up grant of up to £5,000 (subject to eligibility and readiness checks).

What happens when you sign up

The journey is straightforward, and it's designed to feel supportive rather than like an obstacle course:

1. Expression of interest – you sign up and share what you're looking for

2. Eligibility and onboarding – a quick check on borough and circumstances, then you're matched with an adviser

3. Action plan – a tailored set of milestones based on your goals and readiness

4. Business plan – turning your idea into something solid and realistic

5. Mobilise and launch – registering the business (if that's the right step), exploring whether you're ready for grant funding, and getting ongoing support

How to apply

Registration is open now, and the programme is working to register participants by 31 March 2026.

If you live in Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Havering or Redbridge, aren't currently working and want to explore self-employment with proper support around you, it's well worth taking a look and putting your name down.

You can sign up via the programme website.

Who it's for

This programme is aimed at people who are classed as economically inactive.

Simply put, that means you're not currently in work and you haven't been actively looking for a job recently (or you're not able to start right away).

Local London's wider Trailblazer work exists because economic inactivity is still stubbornly high across parts of the capital – and it often hits specific groups hardest, including carers, disabled residents and people from ethnic minority communities.

The barriers are familiar – childcare, confidence, digital access and not knowing what support is out there.

This programme is designed to meet people where they are – and to treat self-employment as a genuine, supported route into sustainable work, rather than a leap into the unknown.

Who's behind it

The programme sits within Local London's Economic Inactivity Trailblazer, part of the UK Government's "Get Britain Working" Trailblazer initiative, funded by the Department for Work and Pensions.

It's being delivered locally through a partnership between Gateley Global and European Innovation, working with Local London across the five boroughs.

Free start-up support now available in your borough

Starting out or starting again? We'll help you shape your idea, plan your finances and reach customers. Get free support now