Horsham District Council is reopening its Business Training Programme, with bookings for new sessions opening on 4 December. The scheme combines interactive workshops and one-to-one sessions led by experts, and has delivered more than 480 hours of training to over 450 businesses across the district over the past four years.

Workshops are designed to be interactive rather than lecture-based, combining group sessions with individual, one-to-one support tailored to each business's specific challenges.

The relaunch, confirmed by Horsham Council, adds new topics including public speaking, AI for business and workplace resilience, alongside returning sessions on social media, first aid, carbon literacy, photography and videography.

Horsham District Council, based in West Sussex, set a net revenue budget of £21.2 million for 2026/27, delivering the year with a £1.6 million surplus while maintaining the lowest council tax rate in Sussex. The Business Training Programme is funded partly by the council and partly through nominal ticket charges on some workshops, rather than being fully covered by ratepayers.

The structural driver behind the relaunch is direct demand signalling from the local business community, with the council saying this year's topic list, including AI for business, was shaped specifically by requests from businesses that had already completed earlier rounds of the programme.

Councillor Jonathan Taylor, cabinet member for enterprise and property at Horsham District Council, said the programme "delivers on our aspirations to nurture business development and enhance the skill base of residents and businesses," adding that this year's line-up includes "some exciting new training topics" shaped directly by demand from the local business community.

Bookings open in the week of Small Business Saturday, positioning the relaunch to coincide with the UK's annual campaign encouraging consumers and businesses to support locally owned enterprises.

For the sector, Horsham's relaunch confirms that district councils are treating recurring, demand-led training programmes as core small business infrastructure, rather than one-off initiatives dependent on a single funding cycle.

Source: theargus.co.uk