City is open for business

THE number of companies set up in Edinburgh has surged ahead compared to a year ago.

New figures from the city council show that 919 businesses were incorporated in Edinburgh in the three-month period to the end of January, up 6.9 per cent on the same period last year. The rolling figure for the financial year to date was up by 22 per cent compared to a year earlier. But the figure, released in Edinburgh Economy Watch bulletin, is marginally lower than a month earlier.