The government has unlocked an extra £6.5bn of small business lending through the Growth Guarantee Scheme. If you run a scaffolding company and haven’t looked at this scheme before, now is a good time to.
The changes were confirmed in July 2026, and they represent the biggest update to the scheme since it launched. Three things moved: loan terms got longer, more businesses became eligible, and lenders have significantly more capacity to say yes. We cover the full detail, eligibility, the subsidy rules, and how to apply in our Growth Guarantee Scheme guide. Here’s what actually changed.
Loan terms nearly doubled
Facilities of up to £1.1m can now run for up to 10 years, up from a maximum of six previously. For a contractor financing materials or vehicles, a longer term means lower monthly repayments, which matters when cash is tied up waiting on staged contract payments.
More businesses now qualify
The turnover threshold rose from £45m to £54m. That brings a wider band of established contractors into scope. Businesses that may have assumed they’d outgrown government-backed lending now qualify again.
The maximum facility size stays at £2m
This part didn’t change. The 70% government guarantee behind the lender is also unchanged. What changed is how long you have to repay, and who’s eligible to apply.
Why the government made these changes
The scheme exists to close a gap: many growing businesses get turned down by mainstream lenders not because they’re a bad risk, but because they don’t have the kind of security or trading history a bank typically wants to see. Scaffolding is a good example; the equipment itself is genuinely difficult for a lender unfamiliar with the industry to value or recover, which is exactly why a government-backed guarantee makes a practical difference here.
The scale of this expansion tells you how seriously it’s being taken. The British Business Bank estimates the extra £6.5bn will help around 33,000 businesses across the UK access finance they’d otherwise struggle to get. It’s also not a new, untested scheme. Since launching in July 2024, it’s already delivered over £3.25bn to UK smaller businesses through more than 70 accredited lenders, with a deliberate focus on reaching businesses outside London and the South East.
Already had a Bounce Back Loan or CBILS? That doesn’t automatically rule you out either.
Speak to one of our specialists about the Growth Guarantee Scheme