East Northamptonshire Council, the Borough Council of Wellingborough and Northamptonshire County Council have today launched their economic recovery prospectus, ‘Recovery Through Enterprise’ to support local businesses and residents through the current economic difficulties resulting from the impact of Covid-19.
The prospectus details the programme that the councils and their local and strategic partners have put together to help meet the current and emerging needs of the local economy including:
- A one-stop-shop to help existing businesses and anyone thinking about starting their own business
- A fast track job match initiative to help those facing unemployment find work whilst also assisting those businesses who are looking to take on more staff
- Working with retailers and local town councils to safely reopen high streets
- Ensuring that public services are aligned with supporting economic recovery
- Establishing recovery hubs within the local community to take services and offers to where they are needed
- Working with our strategic partners at South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) and the Oxford Cambridge Arc to develop long term economic plans for the area ensuring that local priorities are considered at a strategic level
The prospectus marks successes to date including the pay out of millions of pounds of Government funding to support businesses and individuals and the setting up of a bespoke business support service to help businesses get back on their feet.
The work is being undertaken in partnership with a range of local and strategic partners including the University of Northampton, SEMLEP, the Job Centre Plus, the Crown Estate, the Federation of Small Businesses, the local Chamber of Commerce and a number of local business support companies.
In addition to increasing existing business support offers, the prospectus seeks to help local people who find themselves out of work as a result of the pandemic. This will include setting up a one-stop-shop at Rushden Lakes which will offer 1-to-1 business advice, as well as access to a wide range of support webinars and resources, including a fast track job match scheme which aims to get those out of a job swiftly back into work.
Leader of East Northamptonshire Council, Cllr Steven North, said: “This prospectus reflects our commitment to ensuring we do whatever we can to support local businesses and residents though these very difficult and challenges times.”
“We have achieved much to date but there is still a lot more to do. It is vitally important that we support both businesses and our local residents to help them deal with the economic impacts of the pandemic and as a result, be in a position to prosper and thrive once more.”
Leader of Borough Council of Wellingborough, Cllr Martin Griffiths, said: “Providing advice to local businesses, this year and next year, in particular, is so important, especially as we transition to a new North Northamptonshire Unitary council.
“We must do all we can to help businesses thrive in these challenging times and the Recovery Through Enterprise programme will play a key role in this.”
Cllr Matt Golby, Leader of Northamptonshire County Council, said: “These are challenging times for everyone including the businesses here in the county and I’m delighted that we are playing our part in offering the support necessary to help them through the current situation.
“Key to the prospectus is the ambition to energise and resource small and medium sized businesses so they can be agile enough to affirm the economic activity that is the backbone of the local economy.”
The prospectus can be downloaded here.