Business
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Business people in Lichfield,
Staffordshire |
Staffordshire provides an excellent environment for companies planning to expand, develop or set down new roots. Situated in the heart of the country with easy access to the rest of Britain, Europe and beyond, combined with the existence of a loyal, skilled workforce and attractive living environment the County offers the right combination of elements essential to business success.
With a population of just over 800,000 Staffordshire is the seventh largest Shire County in England. Located in the industrial heartland of Britain positioned between Manchester and Birmingham, with Shropshire to the west and Derbyshire to the east, the County consists of 8 districts and several large towns and cities set amongst 260,000 hectares of rural unspoiled countryside.
Key Statistics
Area = 262333 Hectares (Source: ONS, 2001 census, Crown Copyright)
Population = 811,000 (Resident Population mid 2003, Crown Copyright)
Density = 3.1 per Hectare = 310 per sq. km
Workforce = 400,800 (inc. 14,200 unemployed) (Source ONS, Claimant Count August 2005)
Employees in Employment = 320,200 (Source Annual Business Inquiry 2003)
Firms = 24,710 (VAT registered firms end 2003)
Average Wage = £27,580pa (UK = £29,374) - (Source CACI paycheck data)
Industrial Structure (Source - Annual Business Inquiry 2003)
Manufacturing = 54,700
Construction = 15,000
Services
Distribution, Hotels and Restaurants = 82,900
Transport & Communications = 20,500
Banking, Finance and Insurance = 45,100
Public Administration, Education & Health = 83,400
Other Services = 14,400
(N.B- Numbers may not add due to rounding)
A Good Quality of Life
Staffordshire has a rich variety of landscape from the dramatic scenery of the Peak Park in the north to the rolling landscape of the river valleys in the south providing an excellent recreational environment for visitors and the surrounding population. Cannock Chase, a designated area of Outstanding Natural Beauty offers superb woodland walks and beautiful wildlife, flora and fauna.
The County has a number of interesting traditional market towns including Leek, Uttoxeter and Lichfield, the cathedral City of Lichfield, the brewing town of Burton-upon-Trent and a variety of rural settlements providing homes for a quarter of Staffordshire's population. The County town of Stafford, a modern town with a rich history is home to a host of amenities and attractions including the Ancient High House, the largest timber-framed townhouse in England
Access to Markets - the perfect place to centre your business
Staffordshire's central location at the heart of the motorway network provides quick and easy access through the Midlands and the rest of Britain.
The M6 motorway and M6 Toll provide links to Birmingham, London (via the M1), the North West and Scotland. Motorway links at Tamworth in the south of the county allow easy access to the East Midlands, North East, South Wales and the South West whilst the M54 in the south of the county connects Staffordshire to Telford and North Wales.
New road connections, the A50 as part of the M1/M6 Link Road and the proposed Birmingham Northern Relief Road (a motorway link around the north-east of the West Midlands Conurbation), will provide good communications with the motorway network, improve accessibility to the East Coast and will contribute substantially to the relief of congestion on the M6 motorway.
Staffordshire's five Main Line railway stations provide frequent services to major cities throughout the County. The West Coast Main Line Service connects the County with London, Birmingham, North West England and Scotland reducing travel time from Stafford to London to only 1 hour and 40 minutes. It is also proposed that a through Channel Tunnel passenger service will operate twice a day to the continent from Stafford.
There are good rail freight facilities throughout the region, including Hams Hall and Daventry International freight terminal in Warwickshire and Landor Street Container Terminal in Birmingham providing regional and international services.
The County is within easy access of four European and International airports, Birmingham, Manchester, East Midlands and Coventry operating freight and passenger flights to European and International destinations.
Many major sea ports can be reached within four hours drive-time from Staffordshire including Southampton, Harwich and Felixtowe, Liverpool can be reached under 2 hours and Hull under 3 hours.
The Staffordshire Workforce - Loyalty and Stability from a skilled workforce close at hand.
With a long industrial tradition the strengths of the county's workforce have always been in the field of manufacturing, particularly the ceramics, steel, brewing and engineering industries. In recent years the county's skill base has expanded significantly into the service sector and high-technology industries.
The County enjoys a reputation for stable labour relations in comparison with other UK regions and offers competitive labour costs; an attractive proposition for companies looking to invest or expand in the area.
Staffordshire offers an excellent range of education, training, research and development facilities particularly Keele with its associated Science Park, Staffordshire University, a number of higher and further education colleges and neighbouring institutions such as Wolverhampton University which has important links with the County. Specialisms at Staffordshire and Keele University include computing, business related subjects, law, pure and social sciences and the humanities. Strong links exist between local businesses and educational establishments encouraged by organisations such as Staffordshire Learning & Skills Council committed to the development of the skills of the workforce.
Last Modified:
11/05/2007 10:22:58
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