Welcome from Cllr Izzi Seccombe

Welcome to the latest edition of Warwickshire Means Business.  I hope this is now becoming a regular feature for you and that, every two months, it brings you up to date with some of the work that we are doing in and around the county.

A successful business should give equal care and attention to all aspects of its operation, from the boardroom to the shop floor.

Similarly, in making sure that Warwickshire is a successful area for business, we should make sure that we cater for everyone doing business here, from the giant multinationals through to small companies with a handful of employees who also play a critical role in making sure we mean business.

With motor sales last month up over 5% on the same month last year, this is a sector that I am pleased that Warwickshire has a strong presence in.  Warwickshire County Council and all our partners, work hard to get the infrastructure in place to make it a great place for companies of international renown, such as Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin and BMW to do business.  It is excellent news for us and our residents that they are so committed to the region.

Warwickshire's strong appeal as a business base has been reflected in almost 50 firms from the county being named in the Insider Business 500 Leading Midlands Businesses.

But, for every large company, there are hundreds of small enterprises who all play a crucial role in the local economy.  The Warwickshire Rural Growth Network (RGN) has been seeking out these companies to offer help and enable them to grow. 

Funded by Defra and the European Agriculture Fund for Rural  Development Programme for England, the RGN has helped many small companies to grow in some of our more rural areas, creating over 100 jobs since its inception, and safeguarding 175 more. More details of how the network has helped, and can help, small rural businesses to prosper can be found as you read on.

All successful businesses should have an eye on the future and in making sure that Warwickshire remains a great place to do business, we are preparing our young people so that they can hit the ground running when they enter the workplace.

Yesterday, we launched the Employability Charter, a commitment between the county council and partners in the business and education and training communities to work to bridge the gap for young people when they leave education or training and are looking to enter the business world.

It is the latest stage of work from the Skills for Employment programme that was launched the last time we issued this newsletter.  There is further news as you read on about major grants available to businesses or schools and colleges so that they can help make a difference to the job prospects of our young people.

In Warwickshire Outlook, you will see that the number of people in Warwickshire seeking Jobseekers' Allowance has fallen.  We must continue to work hard to maintain this.

In a foreword, I can only touch on a few topics.  There was so much more I could have drawn attention to but rather than carry on, may I urge you to read on and see what Warwickshire is doing for businesses and, similarly, what businesses are doing for Warwickshire.