Council aims to help locals

Nov 15 2007 By The Journal

DERWENTSIDE District Council provides a range of services for businesses, delivering what is needed to create a successful and buoyant economy for the district.

Local companies have access to financial incentive packages, bespoke business advice, training programmes and an array of modern floorspace.

Business start-up project

The “Emerge” business start-up project as been established for four years, funding and supporting over 110 Derwentside residents set up in business, creating over 180 new jobs. The project offers financial support, specialist advice and mentoring and bespoke training tailored to suit the needs of the small business. If you are a interested in starting a business in Derwentside and are hoping to target 60% business to business then we want to talk to you.

To find out more about the Emerge project contact Jerome Mertz on (01207) 693914.

Financial incentives

Lack of funding can often deter new businesses from starting up and existing businesses from continuing to grow and develop new markets. A grant scheme has been designed to provide financial incentives to companies who are locating to the district or who already reside in Derwentside. The grant support can be used to bridge funding gaps at the start-up and expansion stage and contribute towards relevant establishment costs. This may include overheads and expenditure in areas such as investing in eligible productive capacity, marketing, exporting, product innovation and improvements to ICT in terms of networking and e-enablement. To find out how to access the financial incentives scheme please contact Joanne Urquhart- Arnold on (01207) 218053.

Modern floorspace

The development team at Derwentside District Council identified a shortage of modern business floorspace in the district.

In order to encourage businesses to locate to Derwentside and to support the growth of small to medium enterprises in the district it is essential that the appropriate property is available. In response to this shortage the team has developed a series of office accommodation at the Derwentside Business Centre which currently provides 54 high-quality offices and a new 10,000 sq ft manufacturing facility, thus meeting the growing demands for modern, high quality office accommodation in the district.

To find out more about the office accommodation at Derwentside Business Centre please contact Julie Jennings, business centre manager on (01207) 693902.