Business support team helped issue multi million pound emergency grants in Wrexham to startups and freelancers

Councillors will hear how the Business Support Team at Wrexham Council has had to change their operations during the pandemic to help facilitate emergency grants to a range of local businesses and freelancers.

The report before councillors on the Employment, Business and Investment Scrutiny Committee details how the council provides Business Support, “which includes assistance for new business start-ups and community enterprises; and the future focus of this service in light of COVID-19”.

Councillors are told support has been provided to 183 start-up business, 358 jobs have been created as a result of Council involvement and 275 qualified investment enquiries have been handled with it later noted that this data is effectively pre-pandemic, with it noted the team has been vastly reduced over the last four years from 24 to 9 (8.3 FTE), 6 of which provide front line services to the business community in Wrexham.

Looking back to a similar report in 2013 (of “Hello World” fame) there were 35 new business startups assisted, and 131 qualified inward investment enquires, with the report back then detailing the work of 17.31 FTE’s and handling ‘over 20,000 business related enquires’

The team’s role during the pandemic has been highlighted in the report, with it stated ‘pivotal in the Council’s emergency response to businesses affected by lockdown conditions’ adding “the Business Support Team has dealt directly with over 2700 applications* from what will be, by definition of the grant criteria, smaller businesses and those that have been forced to close, which will include elements of non-essential retail and hospitality.”

Previously we have reported the finance department’s issuing of the business rates and other such grants, however this report also details the work the Business Support Team has done directly delivering over £2.18 million in the emergency grant funding, with an indication that the team has effectively pivoted to providing such services, with the delivery described as “dominating” the capacity of the entire Business Support Team for the majority of 2020/21.

Looking into the future, the report notes one possibly major positive, “Inward investment / property enquiries remain strong despite the Pandemic and space remains at a premium on industrial estates in the County Borough. In some instances, waiting lists exist and leases are signed before units are actually built. This is of significance in terms of the planned 29ha extension to the Wrexham Industrial Estate as the type of end use could herald very different economic benefits to the area.”

Councillors will likely scrutinise what should be the council’s role in future recovery, with the report telling them that although the team has reduced the scale of economic recovery required has increased dramatically over the last year, however there are a range of third parties now involved in similar support or working in partnership eg. Enterprise Hub, Business Wales and Welsh Government Account Managers.

The much debated Business Improvement District is also referenced, with the report not explaining why initial funding appeared to be missed, but goes on to say “In 2018/19 the Council secured funding from Welsh Government to enable a feasibility study to be undertaken on the possibility of developing a Business Investment District in Wrexham Town Centre. The COVID-19 Pandemic has delayed the implementation of this study.”

A similar approach for the Wrexham Industrial Estate “could result in improved public realm, infrastructure and management that will enhance the estate’s reputation as a key location for investment.”

The committee will also likely follow up their request for opportunities to support Social Enterprises were explored, and probe an update on how developing social enterprise service provision opportunities across the council has gone.

Top pic: A view into a meeting room, where the committee would normally meet, however this time it will be on Zoom