Welcome from Cllr Izzi Seccombe, leader of Warwickshire County Council
Hello and welcome to the November edition of Warwickshire Means Business.
At Warwickshire County Council we are very proud of the support we provide to the business community through our Economy & Skills team and I was delighted to see some of the fruits of that work recently at an event at Old Shire Hall.
In the last three years the county council's Capital Growth Fund has awarded small capital grants totalling £1.34 million to businesses, enabling them to invest in facilities, equipment and skills while creating jobs. This funding has led to the creation of 104 jobs and unlocked a further £2.7 million of private sector investment in Warwickshire's economy.
All good news - but what was also great to hear at the event was how the value of support offered by Dave Ayton-Hill's Economy & Skills team far transcends finance. The team has a broad range of expertise, whether it is offering advice on recruitment, skills, marketing, exploiting social media, finding premises, building a business plan or just signposting the offers of our partner organisations.
It was heartwarming to hear how many businesses have benefited from their input. Please do visit our Invest Warwickshire website to see how they can help you.
Among the sectors in which the Coventry & Warwickshire region leads is that of driverless and electric vehicle technology and last week brought a very exciting development. Following on from our very successful GreenFleet Ultra-low Emission (ULEV) event at Stoneleigh comes the news that Europe’s first multi-million-pound Smart City Mobility Centre will be based in Wellesbourne at the University of Warwick campus.
The Centre is expected to play a significant role in transforming the future of UK transport. That it will be located at Wellesbourne is a huge tribute to our region's credentials in this sector and will ensure that Warwickshire remains at the heart of that transformation.
Also in this edition of Warwickshire Means Business, we take a look at two pieces of excellent news for Nuneaton with the advance of the Transforming Nuneaton programme and the opening of a new Pet-XI Skills Hub in the town centre.
We also report on Prince Edward's recent visit to the county to cast an approving eye over a project at Campion School, funded by our Skills for Employment programme. Meanwhile, there is a chance for you to help shape the thinking of policy-makers by taking part in the latest Quarterly Economic Survey. Please do complete the survey - it will only take five minutes to make your views heard.
I hope you enjoy this edition of Warwickshire Means Business. As this is my last 'Welcome' of 2018, may I wish you all a very happy Christmas and prosperous 2019!