A NEW website designed to help small companies and those looking to start up in business, is to be launched today.

Business Link County Durham (BLCD) will launch its first interactive website, allowing its customers to access information quickly, cheaply and effectively.

That will help BLCD identify the needs of those businesses and meet them.

BLCD managing director, Jayne Graham, said the key priority was to make high quality business support accessible to all small and medium-sized businesses in County Durham.

She said BLCD recognised that often, owners of small businesses do not have the time to find out critical information that may help their business to prosper.

The simple, user-friendly website can be accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is free.

The website also makes it easy to get online answers to specific questions that businesses may have, and to contact Business Link to talk to a member of the team for more personal business support.

BLDC has also set up the Business support Advisory board, a forum of 18 business people from the county, to develop the most effective ways of ensuring every company has access to the independent advice and support they need.

Marilyn Tarn is the chairwoman of this board, which will help BLCD have a positive impact on as many businesses as possible through continuous customer feedback.

Ms Tarn, managing director at TTT Engineering, in Shildon, has been involved in the launch of the website, which contains information on many business related subjects, including legislation.

She said: "The website has a great deal of information which is valuable to small businesses or those wishing to set up a business, such as finance procedures, legislation and Investors in People."