Business support in Surrey in 2026: what is open and what is not

If you run a business in Surrey and want help, the county's own grant fund is closed for now, but free advice is open, and so are a grant for manufacturers and two national schemes. This is how things stood in September 2026. Funds open and close, so check each link before you plan around it.

Start with Business Surrey

Business Surrey is the county council's free advice service for businesses. It points you to funding that's open now, to the right team for licences and regulations, and to its Growth Hub advisers. Its team knows what's open this month, which no article ever can.

The council's own Surrey Economic Growth Fund isn't open at the moment. Its last grants ran from £10,000 to £75,000 and covered up to half a project's cost, so if it reopens, work out where your half would come from before anything else.

If you make things

Made Smarter South East helps small manufacturers and makers take on technology such as 3D printing, robotics and automation. It pays up to £20,000, matched by the business, and offers expert advice, starting with a free assessment.

Two national schemes

The Youth Jobs Grant pays an employer £3,000 for hiring an 18 to 24 year old into a job of at least 25 hours a week, as long as the new starter has been out of work and on Universal Credit for six months. The Workplace Charging Scheme pays up to £500 per charge point socket for staff or company vehicles, until 31 March 2027. Both apply in Somerset too, alongside the help listed in business support in Somerset in 2026.

In Epsom and Ewell

Three things are specific to the borough.

• Business rates. From 1 April 2026 the old discount for shops, hospitality and leisure has gone. Instead, eligible shops, pubs, restaurants and leisure businesses are billed at lower rates, which the council calls multipliers. The one used is shown on your bill, and if you think it's the wrong one, the council asks you to tell its business rates team. Small business rate relief is still 100% for a single property with a rateable value of up to £12,000, and then shrinks gradually to nothing at £15,000. Pubs and live music venues get a further 15% off in 2026 to 2027, as the council's page on discounts and relief sets out. There's also a new supporting small business relief for some of those who lost relief when properties were last revalued, and the council applies that one automatically.
• The Epsom & Ewell Business Awards. The latest round closed to nominations on 31 December 2025, and the winners were announced in March 2026. If you're thinking of entering, weigh up what entering is worth first.
• Money for community projects. If you run a local club or community group, the council holds yearly funding rounds for local projects, from what's called its Community Infrastructure Levy. The 2026 round took bids from 9 March to 17 May, and in July the council approved five strategic and eight neighbourhood bids. From 1 April 2027 the new East Surrey Council takes over the fund, so ask it about future rounds. The fund is one small part of what East Surrey Council means for Epsom businesses.

Networks

Some of the most useful support isn't money at all. Surrey Chambers of Commerce runs networking and training for members across the county. Epsom Business Club charges no membership fee and meets for breakfast every other month, and its site lists the next date. Go Epsom, the partnership the town centre's businesses pay into, keeps a business directory for the town centre, and it exists because Epsom's businesses came together to fund it. You won't have time for every one of these, so it pays to be choosy about which local networks are worth your time.

If a grant pays for a new website, new equipment or a push for customers, the marketing still has to be planned, and that's where our marketing for businesses in Surrey and South West London comes in, with fixed prices published up front.