County's business start-ups at record high

According to data from Companies House and the Office of National Statistics, 1,302 new businesses were registered in the county compared to 1,289 in 2015.

The number of registered companies in Northumberland now totals 9,713, up from 9,370 at the end of 2015, which equates to 3.7% growth.

The statistics have been collated by Inform Direct Review of UK Company Formations.

John Korchak, director of operations, said: “These figures underline the positive entrepreneurial culture that fosters new company formations and drives economic growth.

“So far, at least, we’re not seeing evidence that the Brexit vote has dented confidence among those considering starting up in business.

“Northumberland again delivered an impressive number of new companies in 2016, demonstrating that it offers a fertile environment for new businesses to spring up and prosper.”

To see the full report, visit www.informdirect.co.uk/company-formations-2016/northumberland

Across the UK as a whole, there were a record-breaking 664,720 companies formed – up from 612,565 in 2015.

Of the 601,418 formations in England, 209,869 were in London. 35,502 companies were formed in Scotland, 15,795 in Wales and 7,389 in Northern Ireland.

Inform Direct is a company formation specialist, offering a comprehensive range of online packages to help those starting a new business. Its award-winning company secretarial software, which helps users throughout the life of their business, currently supports 50,000 companies.