Agenda item

This report provides an update on progress achieved on the delivery of City of York Council’s One Year Business Support Strategy. The Strategy is part of a suite of strategic documents that forms the Council’s One Year Recovery and Renewal Plan, a Plan that sought to address the very significant and immediate impacts of Covid-19 across all aspects of life in York.

Resolved:

i.             That the contents of the report be noted.

ii.            That officers be thanked for their work during the unprecedented circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.

iii.          That a detailed response on the potential of creating green jobs through the support of the city’s climate ambitions be requested.

Reason: To support the Council’s delivery of business support activity in York.

This report provided an update on progress achieved on the delivery of City of York Council’s One Year Business Support Strategy. The Strategy was part of a suite of strategic documents that formed the Council’s One Year Recovery and Renewal Plan, a Plan that sought to address the very significant and immediate impacts of Covid-19 across all aspects of life in York. The Director of Housing, Economy and Regeneration and the Economic Growth Manager were in attendance to present the report and respond questions.

Key points raised during the presentation of the report included:

·        The One Year Business Support Strategy was a part of the broader One Year Covid Recovery Strategy agreed by Executive in 2021.

·        Key aspects of the Council’s support for businesses during the pandemic included the quick and efficient delivery of government funding and micro-grants to businesses, the latter to support businesses beyond the scope of government support.

·        The strategy was comprised of four key themes: networks, targeted support, sector development and workforce skills and training, which where detailed in the report.

·        An allocation of £500,000 from the Council’s Additional Restrictions Grant had been made to develop an innovative business support voucher scheme which was open for applications.

·        Over 600 free Federation of Small Businesses memberships had been provided to businesses which provided a wide range of support services.

·        Growth managers had supported 287 businesses in York since the beginning of 2021.

·        There had been 97 inquiries from businesses and investors seeking to create jobs in York since the beginning of 2021, of which over half were still live.

The Executive Member commented:

·        That he thanked officers for their work during extraordinary circumstances and ensuring that businesses got the help they needed during the pandemic.

·        He was grateful for the support officers provided for the lobbying to government over the issue of businesses missing out on initial grants.

·        He thanked officers for the skills work done to translate government announcements made about available funds to

·        3,500 businesses had been provided with funds channelled to them through the Council during the pandemic, out of a total of 7,000.

·        National comparative data showed that York had experienced a strong response to, and recovery from, the economic issues the pandemic created.

·        He requested that future reports had a greater application of measurements on what interventions delivered, for example on the outcomes of the business support vouchers provided.

·        He drew attention to the potential for green jobs in the city, and the work done during the pandemic to provide infrastructure for training for such jobs, e.g. electric car charging and stated that it was important that York puts itself at the forefront of this growing economic sector.

Resolved:

i.             That the contents of the report be noted.

ii.            That officers be thanked for their work during the unprecedented circumstances of the Covid-19 pandemic.

iii.          That a detailed response on the potential of creating green jobs through the support of the city’s climate ambitions be requested.

Reason: To support the Council’s delivery of business support activity in York.