Basildon for businessfinal

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Autumn/Winter 2016


SUPPORTING OPPORTUNITIES AND GROWTH

WELCOME TO THE 2016 EDITION OF THE

BASILDON FOR BUSINESS MAGAZINE

These are very exciting times for the growth and development of the area. Basildon is a borough with enormous potential and a clear strategy for continued economic growth and regeneration. We have established a strong vision that we believe will drive opportunities for local people, businesses, and our commercial partners and we have put the resources in place to deliver this. We are clear that delivering inclusive growth needs to take into account learning, skills and education as well as providing opportunities for residents to feed our local skills requirement. We have been talking to many local businesses over the past year about their skills requirement, business demands and areas that need change, and how we can best provide support to achieve this growth. In essence, we have a borough to be very proud of, we’ve created the most buoyant economy in Essex; last year Basildon generated £3.9 billion for the county economy, almost 13.1% of Essex’s entire economic output. Almost 8,000 businesses have flourished here, bringing 80,000 jobs and growing. We have also seen a steady rise in new business start-ups, increasing at a faster rate in Basildon than anywhere else in Essex. We have placed regeneration and growth at the centre of our plans. Improvements to town centres include the new South Essex college move to Basildon town centre, which has been made possible due to substantial private sector investment. We hope you will join us on this journey as we look forward to working with all businesses; from micros and SMEs, to large and global institutions to ensure that Basildon continues to be a great place to do business now and in the future. Bala Mahendran, Chief Executive, Basildon Council

CONTENTS… INSIDE THIS EDITION Page 2 Introduction Page 3 News update Page 6 Growth and expansion Page 9 Funding & business support Page 10 Business events & seminars Page 11 Skills & training Page 12 Contact us 2


N E W S U P DAT E

BASILDON – THE PLACE TO BE BASED

Cllr Phil Turner, Leader of Basildon Council speaking at the event

Over 100 people recently attended the launch of Basildon Council’s exciting regeneration and investment plans where it was announced that more than 15,000 homes, new employment opportunities and major town centre regeneration are all planned to sustain the continued growth of this area. Basildon Council showcased its future plans for growth with an investor event, held at Cushman and Wakefield’s central London offices, to highlight the business growth for the borough and to launch its business and regeneration magazine, entitled BaSE.

the borough. This was delivered to an audience of potential investors; business leaders, developers, inward investment and regeneration specialists, and provided an opportunity to launch the ‘Basildon for Business’ brand. Cllr Phil Turner, Leader of Basildon Council said: “We are passionate about our commitment to delivering regeneration and growth to Basildon. We are very different to the councils of old. It is much more than just delivering local services, we help to shape the future of the borough, through economic growth, regeneration, housing and skills provision”.

“BASILDON IS THE FASTEST GROWING ECONOMY IN ESSEX AND OUR VISION IS TO ATTRACT INVESTMENT AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES THAT WILL LAST FOR GENERATIONS, MAKING PLACES FOR PEOPLE TO WORK AND CREATE The event focused on the benefits and develop- HOMES FOR A GROWING PROSPEROUS ment opportunities of setting up a business within POPULATION.” BaSE (Basildon South East) is a bi-annual magazine that focuses on the latest development, housing and regeneration initiatives in the borough and provides an insight into what has made Basildon the largest and fastest growing economy in Essex.

Coffee giant Costa and multinational online retailer Amazon are already bringing significant investment to Basildon and delivering jobs for local people. This will be reinforced further when Costa opens a £38 million state-of-the-art roastery in Christopher Martin Road in early 2017, which will ship coffee beans to more than 3,000 Costa cafes in 31 countries. Christopher Rogers, Managing Director for Costa comments: “Basildon is set to become the centre of our UK business network. The project is an opportunity for us to drive investment into the Basildon area.” A further sign of commitment to the area has been shown by national house builder Redrow, who have proposals for more than 700 much needed homes for the borough. This development has enabled more than £30 million worth of private sector investment which will fund the new South East College campus in the town centre, as well as improvements to the public realm. 3


N E W S U P DAT E

INNOVATION AT PARK THE THE CENTRE SCIENCE Basildon Council has identified an exciting opportunity to deliver an Innovation Warehouse facility within the borough, with plans to refurbish the Green Building, located in the Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea.

With the rise of ‘makerspaces’ globally and a quantum shift in self-employment and entrepreneurism in the area, the Innovation Warehouse will create an environment, where entrepreneurs, businesses and the wider community are able to come together to create, inspire and innovate. The innovation warehouse will bring together public and private sector partners and be a smart hub for support activity to create an open-innovation environment for research, development and creative thinking. This programme of support all works together and is deployed depending upon the bespoke need of each company. The proposal will deliver a 1,055sqm modern warehouse and flexible commercial area to accommodate over 200 businesses, improving the areas flexibility and offer. It will bring new life to an existing landmark building and make significant economic improvements to the area.

EXPERTISE AT THE READY

If you are interested and would like to find out more information about the various areas of Innovation support for South Essex, please contact Domenico Cirillo, Senior Economic Development & Regeneration Officer: domenico.cirillo@basildon.gov.uk

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Basildon Council and the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence (CEME) have aspirations to develop a new state-of-the-art Science Park in Basildon area. This new work will focus on advanced manufacturing and engineering, and automotive sectors. Significantly, there is no High Value Manufacturing Catapult centre in the south east of the country, despite the high levels of GDP from manufacturing and research and development. The opportunity exists to capitalise on the obvious synergies to support supply-chain development, encourage new collaborations and to help deepen some existing relationships in testing and developing new technologies. The proposal will deliver a gateway Innovation Centre building, proposed at 61,000 sq ft (5,760 sq m), with proposals to accommodate office (30,100 sq ft; 2,800 sq m) and workshop (19,900 sq ft; 1,850 sq m) grow-on buildings, located in close proximity to encourage their occupiers to access the Innovation Centre (subject to planning). Gunilla Edwards, Senior Economic Development Team Manager said: “We are working with the centre to provide a similar resource to that in Rainham, and are particularly keen to develop and support this concept to extend the offer into South Essex and throughout the Thames Estuary area. We want to provide a space for innovators and entrepreneurs from all walks of life to turn their ideas into reality and commercial products”.

CEME Centre for Innovation Rainham, Essex

Proposed location for the borough’s new Innovation Centre


N E W S U P DAT E

SOUTH ESSEX BUSINESS INNOVATION PROGRAMME Basildon Council’s South Essex Innovation Programme has been set up to offer bespoke support and solutions to businesses at all stages of the lifecycle:

• Start-up for Innovation - support to innovation led start-up businesses e.g. through incubation facilities and SME first-contact points • Skills for Innovation - providing businesses with the skills and knowledge they need to deliver successful innovation • Open for Innovation - to support supply-chain development, opportunity to encourage new collaborations and to help deepen some existing relationships in testing and developing new technologies

• Technology for Innovation - offering specialist support to access technological expertise, primarily in the universities and to access the academic knowledge and expertise to fast track their development and growth • Knowledge for Innovation - tapping into the contacts and expertise in business-led sector, technology and supply-chain based networks • Infrastructure for Innovation - providing access to specialist facilities to stimulate business collaboration, support innovation, share best practice and to help Essex businesses access vital information for business development • Finance for Innovation – help to access financial resources for introducing an innovative idea and provide in-depth knowledge of the grant and funding landscape (subject to availability)

ESSEX INNOVATION PROGRAMME The Essex Innovation Programme in partner­ ship with Essex County Council, is a no fee programme that provides a reliable source on how to expand through innovation that can be achieved through a number of tailored sessions. The Essex Innovation Programme could potentially give you access to a freeof -charge range of specialist services to enable your business to grow and/or implement innovative processes across a range of specific business themes, including:

• Inspiring Enterprise – the Eastern Enterprise Hub will run a free 12 session course to help entrepreneurs gain business development skills. The aim of Inspiring Enterprise is to support entrepreneurs through the early stages of their new business ideas and starts from November 2016

BASILDON INNOVATION HUB

The Innovation Hub introduces a number of developments in the borough, and establises a unifying South Essex brand which will become recognisable to local businesses as a reliable source of advice and support on how to grow through innovation. It will drive forward the prospects of innovation, helping businesses to accelerate their growth through providing support on a range of issues businesses face at all stages of the life cycle and working with businesses to enable: • access to facilities, services, knowledge & expertise • sharing of ideas with direct links to new initiatives and collaborations • an increase in careers in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics) based subjects • the identification and nurturing of entrepreneurial talent through a coaching and mentoring programme

• Young Entrepreneurship - are you aged 18- 30, unemployed or working fewer than 16 hours a week and have a business idea? The Enterprise Programme, run by the Prince’s Trust provides support and experience needed to help young entrepreneurs to get their business off the ground • Ford Mentoring Programme - a partnership project giving businesses in the county the chance to work with experienced Ford professionals

• World Class Manufacturing - working in partnership with the Institute for Manufacturing (IfM) and University of Cambridge in helping manufacturing companies to grow their profits, become more sustainable, and to support companies to scale up

For further information please visit: www.essexinnovation.co.uk 5


G R O W T H A N D E X PA N S I O N

BASILDON’S FUTURE PLANS

There are a number of regeneration projects that are taking place around the borough, as part of the councils 2016-2020 master plan to deliver significant improvements to the public realm. This will create a new and improved town centre, built with future generations in mind.

BASILDON TOWN CENTRE MARKET

Work has started on the relocation of the market to its new site in St Martin’s Square. The new market, which is due to open in 2017, will offer 46 modern kiosks with electricity and water and 48 pop-up stalls. The market move marks the start of the major multi-million pound redevelopment of Basildon town centre.

ST MARTIN’S SQUARE

Design work for a remodelled St Martin’s gardens have been approved and work will start in early 2017. Complemented by a repainted bell tower, the new gardens will offer a place of relaxation and calm close to the bustling town centre. The enhanced public space will include new coordinated paving and street furniture.

LAINDON SHOPPING CENTRE DEVELOPMENT

Swan Housing Association have begun work on the proposals for the redevelopment of Laindon Shopping Centre. Plans for the centre drew widespread support from the public when they were presented to residents this summer.

ST NICHOLAS MEWS

SOUTH ESSEX COLLEGE

Work on the new South Essex College campus will begin following the market’s relocation to St Martin’s Square. The new state-of-the-art college will offer students enhanced opportunities in emerging technologies with the focus on science and maths. This is part of a substantial investment and will see the brand new college being centrally located in the town centre, with accessible links to train and bus networks.

FREEDOM HOUSE, EAST SQUARE

Basildon Council acquired Freedom House and East Walk in the town centre in April, with the intention of redeveloping the area to deliver new housing and create an evening and night-time economy. Plans for a mixed commercial and residential space are now being developed.

Property developer, Redrow Homes are to build a development of 135 new homes, 23 of which will be available for affordable rent. The new estate being built will support the council’s aspiration to provide quality homes. The housing market is showing a high demand for homes for growing families eager to take advantage of the opportunities that Basildon’s sound economy and improving opportunities for education offer.

THE RANGE SUPERSTORE, PITSEA

The opening of a national brand in the flagship store location at the heart of Pitsea, in July, crowned the upgrade of the town centre. The Pitsea store is spread over one floor and includes a family café, bringing an extra dimension to the improved shopping experience and attracting residents and visitors into the town. The Range’s occupation of the unit completes the initial stage of the regeneration of the area, which has already seen the rebuilding of the Aldi store and the creation of a new Market Square among other improvements as part of a £30m revival project by London and Cambridge Properties.

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G R O W T H A N D E X PA N S I O N

SAVING MONEY BY GOING GREEN AT BURNT MILLS Proposed plans to transform Burnt Mills Industrial Estate in Basildon, into South Essex’s first Eco-Park, were at the forefront of a summer event to demonstrate the financial and environmental benefits for local businesses of going green.

The concept, launched in partnership with Essex County Council, will mean that under the new Eco-Park model, businesses will collaborate to reduce waste and pollution and share or reuse resources including raw materials, water, energy and infrastructure to generate a circular economy. It is projected the savings for businesses could collectively amount to £2million and significantly reduce waste and carbon emissions. The event, hosted at Ford Dunton’s Technical Centre, attracted over 50 local companies eager to learn more about the vision for Burnt Mills and available funding opportunities. The Eco-Showcase

also provided a platform for a new funding initiative - Low Carbon Across the South East (LoCASE). The programme can deliver match-funded grants of between £1,000 and £10,000 to help businesses cover the cost of implementing a wide range of energy efficiency measures to improve business performance, resilience and competitiveness. Cllr David Dadds, Cabinet Member for Regeneration said “I am confident that the interest shown in this event is a signal that the council and businesses can bring about this exciting project which could yield significant benefits in developing and creating a sustainable future. The event also showed that there are grant funding programmes in place that are open to businesses and I would urge local companies to take action and seize the opportunity that could have a positive impact on the bottom line and support business growth”.

FUTURE PLANS

The initial plans have attracted widespread support, but still require greater engagement with businesses on the Burnt Mills Estate to achieve buy-in. This is critical to the success of delivering the Eco-Park vision. To unlock these cost-saving opportunities, a specialist interactive workshop will be held later this year. It will include a ‘match-making’ opportunity between businesses to promote co-operation across the estate in waste and resource management. If you are interested in the project, or would like to become a local business champion, please contact the Economic Development team at Basildon Council on 01268 207979 or email: businessassist@basildon.gov.uk for further information.

ECO PARK SAVINGS IN FIGURES

Source: www.international-synergies.com

It has been projected that over a five year implementation plan, the following long-term economic and environmental benefits could be achieved:

£2.2 million of cost savings for businesses in Burnt Mills industrial park £142 million of new private investment 187 new jobs 381,200 tonnes of CO2 reduction 131,700 tonnes of landfill diversion

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G R O W T H A N D E X PA N S I O N

BASILDON COUNCIL’S INTERNATIONAL TRADE MISSION TO BENGALURU, INDIA 2016 Are you interested in expanding your international business, or does your company operate in one of the following industries? Manufacturing and engineering, information technology and cyber security, transportation and aviation, business and consultancy, eco systems and technology. If so, then we would love to hear from you! From 21-25 November 2016, Basildon Council’s International Development team, are organising a delegation of trade and growth for potential companies to expand or relocate their business to Bengaluru, in India. Bengaluru is located in southern India, referred to as the “Silicon Valley of India” because of its role as the nation’s leading information technology exporter. It is an advanced manufacturing hub and home to many global and leading technological companies. India is one of the UK’s largest trading partners. Indian companies account for a significant percentage of the UK’s foreign investment. The trading and cultural relationship between both the countries is stronger than ever before and the timing is perfect for UK SMEs to explore and exploit the business opportunities presented by the Indian market.

INDIA’S BUSINESS GROWTH The IMF projects a 7.3% GDP growth rate for India in 2015-16 and this is expected to grow over 8% in 2016-17. “The Indian economy has the potential to become the world’s 3rd-largest economy by 2030”. Source: IMF 2016

During the course of the trade mission, Basildon Council’s International Development team will assist delegates, to expand their international business, through a series of B2B meetings, introductions and round table discussions. There will be a structured focus on networking through a pre-selection of Indian companies of high-value interest to delegates. This will be facilitated with our long and established network of partners in India which includes; UKTI, UK India Business Council, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, European Business & Technology Centre, Aerospace Defence & Security India Group, British Business Group, Bangalore & Madras Chamber of Commerce. For further information on the trade mission or our International Trade offer, please contact: Karthik Durgaprasad on 01268 206688 or email karthik.durgaprasad@basildon.gov.uk

ESSEX’S SUPERFAST BROADBAND PROGRAMME

Superfast Essex is part of a wider national programme, co-ordinated by Essex County Council to increase broadband connectivity across the county. To date, it has helped over 70,000 homes and businesses to access superfast fibre broadband and this is projected to increase over the next four years.

SUPERFAST ESSEX

It is one of 44 programmes across the UK working as part of a national government initiative to improve broadband access to help boost the growth of the economy and will help the UK to become better connected. It recognises that improved online access allows businesses of all sizes to adapt, be flexible and help them compete in a global environment; where they can expand, work faster and smarter, share files quickly and save money by making better use of resources.

• reach new customers across the globe with a better digital presence

Superfast Essex has been working with local authorities to identify business parks and industrial areas across the county to assess the overall demand for superfast broadband within the area. To make sure businesses are able to make the most of superfast connectivity when it arrives, there’s a variety of resources and support materials available at www.superfastessex.org/forbusiness. You can find out if fibre broadband will be reaching your area by using the interactive map using your postcode: www.superfastessex.org/maps 8

There are many advantages to your business having a faster, more reliable broadband service, this will bring the following benefits: • transform the way you work and do business • use cloud-based services to reduce IT costs • let your team work remotely and save on time travel • upload, download, back-up and access data faster If you would like to discover more, please visit: www.superfastessex.org for further details on how this will improve your business. The Economic Development Team supports the Superfast Essex programme and we would like to hear from you if you are experiencing connectivity issues or slow speeds and we will support you in finding a solution. Please email businessassist@basildon.gov.uk with your issues.


FUNDING AND BUSINESS SUPPORT

LORD HESELTINE LoCASE (LOW CARBON ACROSS LOOKS TO BASILDON THE SOUTH EAST) LoCASE is a grants and support programme designed to help businesses save money on energy and support growth and innovation in the low carbon and environmental goods and services sector.

The project will improve business resilience, profitability and competitiveness, whilst contributing to the protection and preservation of the environment. The LoCASE project can provide match-funded grants of up to £10,000 to help cover the cost of energy efficiency measures for any small or medium-sized business, enable businesses in the low carbon sector to expand and develop. Grants between £1,000-£10,000 are available to spend on parts and installation costs for items.

ELIGIBILITY Businesses located within the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP) region, can apply for funding, this includes Basildon, Thurrock, Southend, Essex, Kent and Medway and East Sussex. There are a number of criteria that must be met in order to be considered. If you are interested in participating in the programme, please contact the Economic Development team, on 01268 207979 or email businessassist@basildon.gov.uk

The Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission was announced by the Chancellor of the Exchequer in March 2016. This will focus on supporting the development of high productivity clusters in specific locations. It will examine how the area can develop, attract and retain skilled workers and look at how to make the most of opportunities for new infrastructure, such as the proposed Lower Thames Crossing. The commission, which is chaired by Lord Heseltine, is tasked to develop an ambitious vision and delivery plan for North Kent, South Essex and East London up to 2050.

BASILDON IN 2050

Following an initial call for ideas, Lord Heseltine visited key business locations across South Essex, including Basildon’s New Holland Agriculture plant, to assess the growth potential and business opportunities within the area. Lord Heseltine was interested to assess and understand any obstacles to growth and the projects that could be developed to tackle issues such as land and skills shortages in areas and necessary upgrades to infrastructure. We would like to thanks those businesses that shared ideas, concerns and project ideas that will help the work of the project.

PROJECT TIMELINE

By March 2017, the Commission will produce an interim report setting out its vision. It will report back to the Chancellor by the Autumn Statement 2017 with a clear and affordable delivery plan for achieving its vision. Look out for further updates on the commission in the next edition.

Lord Heseltine visits the site of Basildon’s new Holland Agriculture plant

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BUSINESS EVENTS AND SEMINARS

TAKE YOUR BUSINESS TO THE NEXT LEVEL Basildon Council have a wide range of business seminars and events specifically intended to benefit local businesses from all industries. If you are a company operating within the borough these events are free to attend. For details and booking information please visit our business events website: www.basildon.gov.uk/bizevents or contact Kevin Wright, Senior Economic Development Officer on 01268 2086688 or email: kevin.wright@basildon.gov.uk

CYBERCRIME PREVENTION: BUSINESS WORKSHOP WITH HOW SAFE IS YOUR BUSINESS? PRO-ACTIONS: ESSENTIAL SKILLS ON HOW TO MAKE YOUR Wednesday 23 November 2016 BUSINESS GROW 4pm – 6pm Wat Tyler Country Park, Pitsea, Basildon, Essex, SS16 4UH

The Basildon Centre, St Martin’s Square, Basildon

Palmers Solicitors are hosting a series of interactive business education events. The focus will be to provide decision makers with a greater understanding of the risks of cybercrime to their businesses and an introduction to the necessary training and required investment in IT, insurance and personnel systems so that employers can start to reduce those risks. This event promises to deliver advice on practical, protective and preventative measures to reduce that risk and help you to cope if the worst should happen.

This seminar explores money management, how cash is generated, understanding profits and the critical importance of money essentials.

The panel will include industry experts and representatives from City of London Police, Barclays and Cyber Strategies Limited.

FINANCING YOUR BUSINESS: THE ESSENTIALS Tuesday 15 November 2016, Room 2 9am – 12noon

This seminar is run by business people for business owners to get a better appreciation of how to grow your business and how to get the most from your finance team whether they are in house, outsourced to a bookkeeper or to an accountant. If you want to grow your business, then this event is one that should not be missed.

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Tuesday 24 January 2017 9am – 12 noon

The Basildon Centre, St Martin’s Square, Basildon This seminar will help you to understand how to write a clear and effective business plan and is a must for your continued business growth and success. You will gain a clearer understanding of the business planning process, how to set clear and obtainable goals, mapping out your long term objectives and essentially how to review and implement successful business strategies. On completion of the course, you will gain a better understanding of writing a sound and effective business plan, defining and understanding your target audience, objective setting and implementation and review.


SKILLS AND TRAINING

‘YOUR FUTURE’ 16

More than 150 young people attended last month’s annual career and education fair at the Towngate Theatre, Basildon. The ‘Your Future’16 evening welcomed 15-19 year-olds and helped them gain valuable advice and guidance for future careers. Hosted by Basildon Council, the event displayed over 40 exhibitors representing Basildon’s local employers including International Financial Data Services, Case New Holland, Ford and Konica Minolta as well as colleges, sixth forms and training providers. The aim was to inspire school leavers and those who currently find themselves not in work or education. Many exhibitors were on hand to provide expert advice, networking opportunities and the evening saw a high number of prospective future apprentices signed up for interview. Cllr Terri Sargent, Cabinet Member for Community, said: “It was wonderful to see such a large turnout of young people who want to find out about career options for their future. With such a wide range of organisations exhibiting, a lot of people will have been given information to start them on whichever path they choose.” Nyki Dilworth, a Director at travel technology firm Vertical Systems, one of the exhibitors, said: “Well done to Basildon Council for organising events like this. We support these events to represent our investment in developing young talent from the Borough. The engagement of the visitors this year was the best ever.” The event was sponsored by Redrow Homes, ADSI, Adult Community College, and Essex County Council’s Apprenticeship Promotion and Brokerage Hub.

ENTERPRISE IN EDUCATION

Basildon Council in association with Enterprise in Education organised an event for business skills and personal development. This year the theme for the ‘Young Entrepreneur’ category was “Developing Basildon Market”. Local secondary school teams competed to come up with the best plan to increase traffic to Basildon Market and then film a 30second advert before facing a panel of industry judges. The challenges designed to demonstrate creativity in a business setting and develop skills of communication, team work, decision making, problem solving, leadership and negotiation. The event was sponsored by a host of local and national companies, including the Private Ambulance Service, a family business which started in 2012. We had the opportunity to interview them about their business model and success. 1. What motivated you to start your business? My father, brother and I were working for other independent ambulance providers and we decided to join our combined knowledge into starting on our own. We really had a clear vision and a business plan which we were all committed to achieving and surpassing. 2. What have you learnt in the process? Starting and growing a business takes passion dedication and hard work. It’s a 24 hour job which never relents. Through the journey you make mistakes, it’s learning from them and adapting your business along the way that makes it work. 3. What is your annual turnover, profit and impact to the community? We started trading 4 years ago and our turnover last year was around £8million, and this year we are anticipating an increase to just under 12million. Our business currently transports in excess of 20,000 patient journeys per month. We also employ in excess of 300 staff and 65% of them live in the local area. 4. What is your vision for the company? At this time the company is going through a period of stabilisation. Due to our rapid growth it is now time to focus on our contracts and customers to ensure we are meeting all of their needs. Moving forward we will be looking to secure further NHS contracts.

Your Futures 16, Towngate Theatre Basildon

5. Having been successful what advice would you give to other starting up? Ensure you have the right people in the right roles. It is essential to the growth of any business to have a team that can see your vision and work with you to get there.

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C O N TAC T U S

WOULD YOU LIKE TO JOIN THE BASILDON BUSINESS GROUP? Basildon Business Group (BBG) is a private-sector business group, created to advocate the needs of the borough’s economy. It is a select group of businesses that meet quarterly to steer programmes of change that will help the future development of Basildon’s thriving economy.

We are always keen to ensure that we have a good mix of local businesses on board and are open to new recruits who would like to join to strengthen the work of the group. BBG’s programme of work includes: • Showcasing and championing the economic strength and attractiveness of the borough in order to attract further investment

• Supporting our local schools to understand local opportunities and promoting work readiness through the Basildon Business and Education Consortium (BBEC) • Showcasing career opportunities for students across the borough through the annual ‘Your Future’ event • Supporting a range of free business support workshops and using our members to share their experience and provide support to other businesses through mentoring schemes If you would like to find out more details and register your interest in joining, please contact: businessassist@basildon.gov.uk

• Ensuring the interests of the borough’s businesses are considered and supported in the council’s corporate plan and the Local Plan

BASILDON COUNCIL’S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM Are you considering starting a business, expanding or developing new products and services, or seeking to explore new and international markets? Basildon Council’s Economic Development Team have a wealth of experience and expertise to support and advise businesses both small and large across the borough. The team are here to work with your business at every stage of the business life cycle and provide free information and support.

For further details, simply contact us, we will be delighted to hear from you. Telephone: 01268 207979 Email: businessassist@basildon.gov.uk Get social follow us on twitter for regular updates: @basbizassist @BasildonCouncil

Basildon Council’s Economic Development Team L-R (Back row) Kevin Wright, Domenico Cirillo, Karthik Durgaprasad, Alicia Hammond and Sam Terrell

Autumn 2016


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