Agenda item

In attendance for this item were:

Worcestershire County Council:

Nigel Hudson, Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy

Sue Crow, Economic Growth and Investment Manager

Dr Ken Pollock, Cabinet Member with Responsibility (CMR) for Economy and Infrastructure

Hereford and Worcester Chamber of Commerce – Cassie Bray, Director of Business Development

Sue Crow, the Council’s Economic Growth and Investment Manager had prepared a presentation which highlighted the key points from the agenda report.

The presentation included the role of the Growth and Investment Team, Game Changer Sites, how new business was stimulated, support for existing businesses, partnership working and case studies. (The presentation is available on the website:

https://worcestershire.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=388&MId=2777&Ver=4 )

Game Changer Sites

The Worcester Six site had attracted a number of investors and was the most successful new employment site in Worcestershire and was seen as one of the most successful nationally. The Game Changer sites tended to attract interest from international companies. So far, the site had generated around 250 jobs – in response to a question about the proportion of these jobs which were new in Worcestershire, this was not yet confirmed.

When asked how long the Worcester Six site had taken from concept to delivery, the officers advised that first conversations had taken place with Worcester Bosch around nine years previously, and consent for the site had been given three years ago, therefore a great deal of progress had been made to complete such a big scheme. For new sites, a timescale of around four years was envisaged.

The Redditch Gateway site was a new development, which aimed to promote and enhance supply chain links and to further develop the skills of the labour market. It confirmed that conversations with companies interested in this site were underway.

Regarding Malvern Hills Science Park (MHSP), the Council had ongoing investment plans for this site with the latest development being funded with Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP). There were big visions for the site, and recently the Council, with Malvern Hills District Council, had purchased 4.5 ha of adjacent non-serviced land. It was anticipated that the development would accommodate up to 250,000 sq. ft of commercial floor space.

Support for Businesses

The Panel was shown a diagram which indicated the support available for new businesses at the stages of innovation, start-up, investment and scale-up.

Worcestershire Business Central was a partnership which supported businesses and engagement and was now co-located with Herefordshire and Worcestershire Chamber of Commerce.

A Panel member referred to the extraordinary figures for return on investment from the Business Accelerator Project (page 12 of the agenda) and asked what this project involved and how learning from these business successes could be maximised. The Officers advised that the work focused on a coaching model to identify what areas of expertise a business needed, with opportunities for investment. The Head of Strategic Infrastructure and Economy acknowledged that the Council could do more to highlight this small but very successful area of work.

In response to a Member’s question about whether the business support projects had been rolled out across the region, since he was aware that many businesses did not know where to find support. The Economic Growth and Investment Manager explained that discussions were underway with the Council’s libraries, in liaison with the district councils, to identify libraries where business experts would be able to refer businesses appropriately.

A member suggested that Worcestershire’s economy benefitted hugely from rural businesses and asked how the Council engaged with those who wanted to develop, a need she was aware of. The Director of Business Development from Herefordshire and Worcestershire (H&W) Chamber of Commerce advised that this was the role of Worcestershire Business Central, which included a team of around 11, with expertise in different fields, for example manufacturing or agriculture, 3 of whom also focused on engagement; work was prioritised but the team did contact businesses. By working with H&W Chamber of Commerce, Worcestershire Business Central engaged with over 4000 businesses throughout the year, although with 130,000 businesses in Worcestershire, and limited funding, it was a challenge to reach them all.

The Chairman suggested that Councillors were in a good position, with their local knowledge of communities to publicise the services available to businesses and that District Council’s published newsletters which could signpost services also.

The Panel was shown details and examples of case studies and video clips from rural businesses which had been helped through the Leading Rural Business Programme (LEADER), which had been running for four years. The Officers had built up good relations with businesses but were aware that more could be done and would welcome the opportunity to build on this.

Other areas of work with businesses included helping them to assess their cyber security, grants to invest in growth and support to start up. A recent addition was working with the European Regional Development Fund. Another example of a business support programme was Worcestershire Innovation (WINN), which offered companies support mechanisms including proof of concept (POC) grants and innovation events. The Council was audited on its allocation of POC grants, and it was the best performing project in the west and east midlands.

The Council’s team worked in partnership with the district councils and it was confirmed that newsletters were circulated to inform them about projects and events. 

The officers acknowledged that the LEADER project was expensive; it was not job generating but focused on introducing technology and improving productivity.

When asked what assistance was available to businesses struggling with documentation, the H&W Chamber of Commerce representative advised that there was a team which could help, and that more funding was coming through for this function because of the current political environment around Brexit.

A Panel member highlighted the importance of channelling efforts into the right areas, such as business growth.

Several Panel members raised issues around smaller businesses being unable to find suitable premises in Worcester, and reports of problems around planning and expansion for businesses in Evesham Vale. Another member had received feedback that transport for the workforce to Worcester Six site was an issue. The Officers advised there was a huge issue around the economics of constructing buildings and that the particular mix of land in Worcestershire presented challenges. Water shortages was another issue. 

The Cabinet Member with Responsibility (CMR) for Economy and Infrastructure acknowledged there were issues around businesses in rural areas being restricted by planning, and asked members to inform him of problems they were aware of.

The Panel was very impressed by the work being done and a member commented that the programmes available would inspire even successful businesses to grow and push forward.