Welcome from Cllr Izzi Seccombe

Hello everybody and welcome to the February edition of Warwickshire Means Business.

This month’s issue contains plenty to show that, for all the challenges we have faced in recent years, and continue to face, there remains so much to be positive about regarding the local economy and our business community. 

Reading through this edition just cemented the great pride that I feel in the business support supplied by Warwickshire County Council and our partners in the region. We are blessed with so many wonderful businesses, large and small and in so many sectors, and it remains our highest priority to offer support in every way we can. 

For the last six years, a huge plank of that support has been the CW Business: Start, Grow & Scale programme which has now offered intensive support to more than 1,000 businesses – a fantastic achievement. Another is the Duplex Investment Fund which has invested almost £3million in small businesses over the last five years. 

While our Business & Economy team continues to power a multitude of excellent schemes, our Skills team is equally productive. This month marks the third anniversary of the creation of Warwickshire Skills Hub which hit the ground running in 2020 and has gathered momentum ever since. This month brought an exciting new dimension to their offer with the launch of Warwickshire Supported Employment Service – a unique and groundbreaking service to assist people with learning disabilities and/or autism into work. The Skills Hub's Fair Chance Employment programme, meanwhile, continues to go from strength to strength.

The lovely towns of Warwickshire each continue to deliver their own special business offer and this month we feature Alcester, a small town punching its weight on the global stage. At Warwickshire County Council, we strive to help all our towns make the absolute most of their assets and our Warwickshire Towns Network Conference in March is sure to be the usual melting pot of ideas and creativity. 

All this and much more is covered in the February edition of WMB. I hope you enjoy our latest update of all that’s happening around our vibrant business community. 

Izzi