Sussex Enterprise issues action call to councils (From The Argus)

Sussex Enterprise issues action call to councils

5:18pm Tuesday 7th February 2012 in Business News By John Keenan, business editor

A chamber of commerce has called on local authorities to take action to boost the economy.

Sussex Enterprise has launched a business support package to give business leaders the chance to gain investment. The move comes in the wake of comments by the chamber’s chief executive Mark Froud, who criticised the “relatively low levels of aspiration” in East Sussex.

Now Mr Froud has written to the leaders and chief executive officers at each of the county, district and unitary councils in Sussex. He said that since the Government closed the local delivery of the Business Link service there has been a void in providing business support.

He wants Sussex Enterprise to work with the council to fill this gap. Among the proposals are a series of breakfast events with general business topics aimed to provide businesses with ideas on how to solve their problems. There will be a series of specialist business clinics that tackle a topic in depth. And an in depth questionnaire based diagnostic will be completed by a consultant working with a business on a one to one basis. This will be writ- ten up into a report for the business with recommendations for future action.

Mr Froud said: “We are not asking the councils to fund the service. We will be funding it from our internal resources. However, we would like them to help to promote the service to local businesses and to encourage them to use it. This might extend to paying for events to attract businesses to the service and marketing materials.”

Kieran McNamara, assistant director of economy, transport and environment at East Sussex County Council said the council would look in detail at Sussex Enterprises’ ideas. He said: “The county council is sup- porting the local economy in a variety of ways such as a planned quarter of a billion pound capital programme for growth over the next four years, a planned £26m boost for superfast broadband and our very successful Build East Sussex initiative, which now has over 660 local businesses involved in the construction industry registered on its website.”

Clare Mangan, regeneration manager for Adur and Worthing councils said it is vital to pro- vide clear guidance to those in business and those who are looking to establish new businesses.

She said: "The proposition from Sussex Enter- prise is a positive contribution to the growing network of business support. With the Enter- prise Hub established in Worthing, together with the business support that can be found along the coast, it is important that a consistent and comprehensive network of support is provided across coastal West Sussex, if we are to effectively assist established and emerging businesses.”

But Paul Yates-Smith manager at the Sussex Business Bureau and organiser of Deans Business Club in Saltdean rejected Mr Froud’s argument that businesses in East Sussex do not want to export.

He said: “I have been visiting Portugal for nearly two years with a view to creating a dialogue for export opportunities - not only for my business but as a representative of my club members. I have conducted meetings international and local business owners some based as far afield as Brazil. “This has meant a considerable investment in time and money to carry out these trips. For my part I have already issued three pieces of work to East Sussex based designers and I have recently secured a substantial contract to build an e-commerce website.

“All of the budget will be spent with East Sussex businesses who support our business group. Selling the diverse range of technical ability and creative talent from the East Sussex area including Brighton has made my offering all the more attractive to those I have met. I am now delivering on the initial enquiries I generated and on subsequent trips the additional opportunities that I have discovered.”

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: “Sussex Enterprise will be pushing at an open door as far as we’re concerned. As they allude there’s not much money about but there’s a great deal of will to help our businesses in whichever way we can.”