Agenda item

Officer: Emma Lindsell

Key decision: No

The Leader of the Council delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the decisions set out below

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.

The Cabinet Member for Economy & Jobs informed Members that a number of activities had taken place during Croydon’s Year of Business which had sought to support businesses to access business opportunities. 158 events and workshops had been organised and a further 30 events were due to take place before the end of the year, with the Economic Summit due to take place on 22 November 2018.

The Cabinet Member highlighted a number of initiatives which had been successful including; Croydon Work which had placed more than 350 people into work, the Business Rate relief scheme which had created over 370 local jobs, and almost 50 businesses being recognised as Good Employers. The Cabinet was also provided with a number of testimonials from those who had experienced the Year of Business and the ongoing initiatives.

Looking to the future, the Cabinet Member stated that every year was a year of business and that Croydon would continue to engage with businesses and promote ‘Croydon is Open for Business’. Work would continue to support the BIDs, creating jobs, and ensuring the business community worked for all and not just the centre of Croydon.

In response to Member questions the Cabinet Member stated that the campaign for a Business Rate relief scheme had begun with the Small Business Commission as Business Rates were the main area of concerns for SMEs. The Cabinet Member welcomed that the government had listened to the campaign and that a relief scheme had been introduced.

With regard to measuring the success of the initiatives, the Cabinet Member noted that almost 50 employers were a part of the Good Employer scheme with a number more having been invited to participate. The Cabinet Member requested the support of all councillors for the scheme as it sought to support the local district centres and local communities. Furthermore, the Cabinet Member highlighted the work of Croydon Works which supported people into work and worked with the local economy to ensure people were trained in areas where there were skill shortages such as in social care and the hospitality sector. It was noted that Croydon was one of the first boroughs to have a campaign that sought to support the local economy in this way.

In response to questions the Cabinet Member confirmed she would share the up-to-date figures relating to the number of children living in families affected by income deprivation with the Cabinet Member for Children, Young People & Learning. The Cabinet Member further confirmed that a priority for the council was to support care leavers into employment; as well as those who were homeless and those with disabilities; by ensuring they had the right skills.

The Leader noted that the amount of investment in the borough and companies joining Croydon showed that progress had been made, and that Croydon’s Year of Business had been a success. The Cabinet Member further welcomed Member attendance to the events; including the Economic Summit; to support the local economy.

The Leader of the Council delegated to the Cabinet the power to make the decisions set out below

RESOLVED to note the contents of the report.