2017 has gotten off to a roaring start for us here in Harrogate. Beginning with the reopening of Rudding Park Spa, the opening of All Bar One, and the unveiling of the One Wellness Centre, Harrogate has hit the ground running this year! A potentially large amount of job opportunities comes with this rapid change, but nevertheless, the need for creating more local jobs is still vitally important.
The steady decrease in local unemployment particularly came to light at the beginning of last year when Harrogate and Knaresborough matched its lowest ever unemployment rate. Since then, local government promised to continue to ensure a nurturing climate for education, job creation and business development going forward.
Local entrepreneurs
Although larger businesses moving to town can be a good sign, encouraging local entrepreneurs has been popular amongst government policies for a long time now. Known best as a solution to unemployment and economic hardship, a budding local entrepreneurial scene can also enhance the sense of community about town. With that, the usual measures of low interest rates for companies, tax incentives and providing resources for economic gardening all need to be in place.
Another sector to focus on is education; providing specific entrepreneurship classes in colleges, as well as funding further educational opportunities is always a good way to go. In addition to this, hosting informational events or training workshops can spark interest. Another important aspect is for already existing businesses to open their doors to young interested minds through intern programmes or traineeships. There are also a number of programmes and funding opportunities for local businesses such as gov.uk grants that support expansion projects which create jobs in the Leeds City Region. Generally speaking, the gov.uk website offers a comprehensive portal to information and support for small businesses.
Make yourself known
The success of small businesses is crucial for job creation and the local economy in general. If you run a small business yourself, one of the most important aspects to success is making yourself known amongst the locals. People need to know you exist, in what capacity you exist, and exactly where you exist. The most modern way of creating awareness around your company is of course by enhancing your online presence with a well-polished website and by maintaining a consistent social media brand identity. Nevertheless the more traditional methods are of course equally effective at increasing your local visibility, such as distributing flyers or investing in roller banners which can be obtained easily from online stores like this one.
Shopping regionally
In your day to day life, you can encourage local businesses by shopping locally for goods and services. This not only boosts the economy and supports local entrepreneurs, but also nourishes the community and lowers the environmental impact of businesses. Celebrate your neighbourhood businesses by opting for the independent fruit and veg stand instead of Tesco, or perhaps your local pharmacy rather than Boots. This also ensures that important decisions such as expansion, investment and other key development issues are left in the hands of people who know the area and who will also feel the repercussions of such decisions.
