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Package of business support makes its mark as economy begins to open up

Posted on Tuesday 18th May 2021
SMBTB BACK TO BUSINESS LOGO

A package of business support put in place by the county council and its partners in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic is making a difference to people and businesses as Staffordshire looks forward to its economy reopening.

With latest out of work claimant figures remaining constant over the last few months, people in the county’s hospitality sector will be now be returning to work and new job opportunities created.

Figures released today show that 4.7 per cent of the county population claimed out-of-work benefits in April, which is the same as the previous month although with a slight decrease in the overall number of claimants. The regional figure is 7.3 per cent and national 6.5 per cent.

The county council has worked hard with its partners to ensure targeted support was in place as soon as possible through its Staffordshire Means Back to Business programme.

Working with district and borough councils, the £5million support package includes an investment to cover the costs for up to 500 apprentices, a training top-up fund for businesses to upskill their employees, a grants scheme to enable small businesses to thrive. Already 165 apprentices are registered, and 15 business applications made to the training top-up fund.

There is also a loan scheme for people who want to set up their own business and have completed an online Start-Up training course and a programme to support entrepreneurs currently in further education to set up their own business.

In addition, a countywide support initiative with the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) was launched early this year and small business loan scheme set up with not-for-profit lender BCRS.

Philip White, Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills said:

As the hospitality sector begins to reopen from this week, we look forward to seeing people returning to work and expect to see job opportunities created in the coming weeks as a result. The claimant count statistics in Staffordshire have remained fairly constant in recent months which shows our county has remained resilient and we are optimistic this will improve as our economy begins to recover over the summer months.

It has been a hugely difficult time for businesses and those affected by restrictions and working with our partners we have done all we can to put targeted support schemes in place. We have invested where it matters, and we are already seeing positive results.

Helping our businesses to bounce back is an absolute priority to us as a county council and we also want to seize the opportunities for growth and transformation we believe exist for areas of the country such as ours that are ready to innovate and push forwards.

Through our long-term Staffordshire Means Back to Business Strategy we will be working to ensure our county is fit for the future as a great place to do business, work, visit and study with a highly skilled, highly connected and highly productive economy.”

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