2015 will see a unique opportunity for businesses in the Welwyn-Hatfield area to shape the support available from the local Council. Get involved and let your opinion make a difference.Here's a message from Welwyn-Hatfield Council...
Working with local partners, Welwyn Hatfield Council has recently been reviewing the role it takes in supporting the local economy.
The Council is keen to help business maximise the benefits of a recovering economy, using its powers to help create an environment that encourages new commercial investment, delivers new local jobs and supports new opportunities for businesses to meet their potential.
To get a better understanding of how we can help, we need to gain a greater understanding from our local business community of the current issues they face, what their barriers are to growth and how they might like us to help.
When we know what those issues are, we will be looking to develop an Economic Development Strategy for the Borough, that sets out a clear vision for the future of how we can work together to create a strong and prosperous Borough for all those who work and live here. Partnership working will be key to the future success of a Strategy, and as a first step we hope you will help us in gaining a full and in depth understanding of the current issues affecting businesses in the local area.
As such we are bringing in a team of experts for a 3 month period to help us identify the issues you face. This team will be undertaking face to face meetings and telephone calls with local businesses, as part of a business survey to fully understand the issues and how we can set a programme to address these in future.
This information gathering exercise will be concluded in late February with a ‘Breakfast Workshop’ to discuss those issues raised by you, within the survey. This will take place on Friday 27th February and will be a further important opportunity for your business to influence how the Economic Development Strategy can act to help maintain the current strength of the local business environment and build on it for the future.
The team would like to meet as many of you as possible to discuss your business, and to gather information to help inform the strategy, so if you are want to input into our plans and begin the dialogue please contact econdev@welhat.gov.uk, and please take the time to fill out the business survey when it is sent out to you in January.
Regards
Trevor Saunders – Director (Strategy and Development)
Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council