Chichester District Council
Issue

Issue - meetings

Supporting New and Existing Small Businesses

Meeting: 09/01/2018 - Cabinet (Item 464)

464 Supporting New and Existing Small Businesses pdf icon PDF 94 KB

The Cabinet is requested to consider the agenda report and to make the following recommendation to the Council and resolutions:

 

A - RECOMMENDATION TO THE COUNCIL

 

That (a) the establishment of the Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme and Provision of Retail Training for independent retailers as set out in sections 4.2 to 4.5 of the agenda report supported by £168,800 allocated from the Pooled Business Rates Fund be approved and (b) the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to approve shop front improvement grants under the Scheme.

 

B - RESOLUTIONS BY THE CABINET

 

(1)  That the continuation of the Enabling Grant Scheme for new and existing small businesses as set out in section 4.1 of the agenda report supported by £71,428 allocated from the Pooled Business Rates Fund and that the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to approve grants under the Scheme.

 

(2)  That the allocation of additional funding for Chichester District Council’s Choose Work Programme as set out in section 4.6 supported by £32,000 from the Pooled Business Rates Fund be implemented.

 

(3)  That a record of all grants allocated under the Enabling Grant Scheme and Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme be reported to the Grants and Concessions Panel to ensure co-ordination of the approval processes.

 

Decision:

RECOMMENDED TO THE COUNCIL

 

That (a) the establishment of the Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme and Provision of Retail Training for independent retailers as set out in sections 4.2 (as amended) and 4.3 to 4.5 of the agenda report supported by £168,800 allocated from the Pooled Business Rates Fund and £32,000 from reserves be approved and (b) the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to approve shop front improvement grants under the Scheme.

 

RESOLVED

 

(1)  That the continuation of the Enabling Grant Scheme for new and existing small businesses as set out in section 4.1 of the agenda report supported by £71,428 allocated from the Pooled Business Rates Fund and that the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to approve grants under the Scheme.

 

(2)  That the allocation of additional funding for Chichester District Council’s Choose Work Programme as set out in section 4.6 supported by £32,000 from the Pooled Business Rates Fund be implemented.

 

(3)  That a record of all grants allocated under the Enabling Grant Scheme and Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme be reported to the Grants and Concessions Panel to ensure co-ordination of the approval processes.

 

[Note In the recommendation above section 4.2 was amended by the Cabinet by the addition after ‘Selsey’ and before the full stop of ‘, funded from £168,000 and in addition a further £32,000 from reserves for East Wittering local centre’]

 

Minutes:

The Cabinet received and considered the agenda report.

 

This item was introduced by Mr Dignum.

 

Mr Oates was in attendance for this matter.

 

Mr Dignum summarised the contents of the report with reference to the three categories of grant scheme available.  The proposals would build on the considerable success to date of the Enabling Grant Scheme and the Choose Work Programme and the exciting opportunity represented by the proposed new Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme and Provision of Retail Training for independent retailers in Chichester District.

 

Mr Dignum added that he had discussed with officers and was now proposing to the Cabinet that in addition to the retail areas in the four settlements mentioned in para 4.2 of the report there should be added the East Wittering local centre as follows: insert after ‘Selsey’ and before the full stop: ‘, funded from £168,000 and in addition a further £32,000 from reserves for East Wittering local centre’. He said that East Wittering and Bracklesham was worthy of inclusion in view of its extensive retail range offered compared with other settlements of a comparable size and nature.  

 

The Cabinet supported this amendment to para 4.2 and the consequential change to the recommendation in para 2.2 of the report by the addition of a reference to ‘and £32,000 from reserves’.

   

Mr Oates answered a question about the training to be provided to retailers. He confirmed that businesses in the East Wittering local centre would be made fully aware of the opportunity to receive bespoke retail training.

 

Decision

 

At the end of the discussion the Cabinet voted unanimously on a show of hands to support the recommendation to be made to the Council and the resolutions which are set out below.

 

RECOMMENDED TO THE COUNCIL

 

That (a) the establishment of the Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme and Provision of Retail Training for independent retailers as set out in sections 4.2 (as amended) and 4.3 to 4.5 of the agenda report supported by £168,800 allocated from the Pooled Business Rates Fund and £32,000 from reserves be approved and (b) the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to approve shop front improvement grants under the Scheme.

 

RESOLVED

 

(1)  That the continuation of the Enabling Grant Scheme for new and existing small businesses as set out in section 4.1 of the agenda report supported by £71,428 allocated from the Pooled Business Rates Fund and that the Head of Commercial Services be authorised to approve grants under the Scheme.

 

(2)  That the allocation of additional funding for Chichester District Council’s Choose Work Programme as set out in section 4.6 supported by £32,000 from the Pooled Business Rates Fund be implemented.

 

(3)  That a record of all grants allocated under the Enabling Grant Scheme and Shop Front Improvement Grant Scheme be reported to the Grants and Concessions Panel to ensure co-ordination of the approval processes.


 

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