Agenda and draft minutes

To receive the notes of the meeting held on 2 May 2018.

The group received the ntoes of the meeting held on 2 May 2018.

To note the Forward Plan extract (if any) for the Local Economy Portfolio

There were no relevant items on the forward plan.

The Head of Economic Development presented the group with an overview of the new Think Horsham website.

The new website would look cleaner, more modern and more professional.

The website would host information regarding commercial properties that are available through HDC as well as providing information from the WSCC commercial property register. The website had information on commercial sites that were available presently. Officers within the Economic Development team can assist with premises and sites that would be available in the near future.

The website would provide improved business support including contact information for the relevant department within HDC and information about funding, networking and potential partnerships available within the district.

The website linked to the latest adopted Economy Strategy and had a news and events page that highlighted upcoming local events regarding local businesses as well as other important news within the district.

When the new website is made live it would undergo constant reviews and updates.

The Head of Economic Development provided the group with an update on Economic Development within the district.

It was reported LEAP Small Grants Scheme had been again open to applications for businesses located within the district. The scheme had been specifically aimed at the District’s small visitor economy businesses. The Council would seek applications for Grants of up to £4,000 in 3 rounds:

Round 1 – Had closed with 4 applications being received with 3 approved.

Round 2 – Would close at the end of June 2018 with 3 applications being received to date.

Round 3 – Would open at the end of September 2018 and close at the end of October 2018.

If the number of applications received were to continue at a low lever, the funding criteria would be reviewed to encourage more applications.

The Journey 2 Work (J2W) program had been successfully funded for the next 12 months and further funding had been secured from the DWP to appoint a J2W coordinator based in HDC.

A local training organisation had been appointed to set up and manage 3 ‘WISH Job Clubs’ in the district to help support people in the local community when finding jobs. The first WISH club would open in Billingshurst with 2 more clubs were to be opened in the future.

The Head of Economic Development provided the group with an update on external funding regarding EAFRD and LEADER.