A new £500,000 package of initiatives is being rolled out to support businesses in and around Stafford.
Around 500 small and medium-sized businesses are expected to benefit from the programme being funded by UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The ‘High Street Boost’ will kick off the programme this month, giving 30 independent town centre businesses in Stafford the chance to work alongside business growth experts Good2Great to look at ways of improving their offer and attracting new customers.
Four workshops will be hosted at The Post House in Stafford – the first taking place on Tuesday, 23 July – with several hours of one-to-one support on aspects such as sales, marketing, and administration being offered afterwards.
Other initiatives include:
- Fledgling businesses and new start-ups being targeted as part of the borough wide ‘Ignite and Thrive’ scheme which will search for potential entrepreneurs from institutions such as the college and army camp.
- Existing businesses across the borough will have the opportunity to access support for their growth plans via a series of ‘Going for Growth’ workshops.
- Local businesses across all sectors will receive free advice and support on being sustainable including emission reductions and energy efficiency.
- The launch of a new ‘Business to Business Innovation Grant’ scheme.
All the initiatives will be showcased at an event in September where the Leader of Stafford Borough Council, Aidan Godfrey, will outline to businesses and key partners the package of support available to help support growth in the area.
Mary Walker, Chair of the Town Centre Partnership, said: “It is really welcome news that our independent town centre businesses will receive this support after what has been incredibly challenging times.
“The support will provide a much needed “boost” to our town centre as part of the council’s overall plans for regeneration.”
Major transformations for the county town are in the pipelines after the council’s purchase of the ailing Guildhall Shopping Centre for a proposed commercial and residential development, and plans have been lodged with the local authority to demolish part of the derelict former Co-op building, while retaining the iconic frontage to create a food court, accommodation and retail offer. Daily Focus reported in May that businesses were already expressing an interest in taking over the former department store.
Councillor Rob Kenney, Deputy Leader with responsibility for town centres, said: “The Guildhall and the Co-op will grab the headlines as they are the high-profile projects in the town centre. But equally important is the need to grow our new and existing businesses and this programme demonstrates the council’s ambition to do just that across the borough.
“We will be reaching out to a whole range of companies, enterprises and future entrepreneurs to invite them to take up the advice, support, or financial help that could be available so they grow and thrive in our borough.”
For more information about the Good2Great scheme, including details of the workshops, click here.
To find out more about other schemes, click here.
