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| All tenants of the county council's business centres will benefit |
Rent freeze help lift the economic gloom
Staffordshire County Council has frozen rents for businesses at its 10 local Business and Enterprise Centres to help firms battle the recession.
Businesses at Lymedale, Silverdale, Cannock, Burton, Stafford and Uttoxeter are all set to benefit.
It's all part of Staffordshire's commitment to doing everything it can to help protect jobs and support the community through these testing times.
The council's business centres have generated over 1,000 new jobs in recent years, providing a hothouse environment where small and medium enterprises get the support they need to grow and prosper.
A whole host of specialist services and creative industries have set up under the council's wing - from the high tech knowledge based economy through to traditional trades.
Staffordshire's Cabinet Member for Economic Regeneration and Sustainable Communities Councillor John Wakefield said the Business Centres were established to nurture and support the small business sector.
"The last thing we want to do is add to the burdens business has to face at this difficult time. These small to medium size operations are the bedrock of employment in Staffordshire.
"The Business Centres were set up to generate new ideas, entrepreneurial flare and dynamism. We need to keep that flame alive.
"The rent freeze will help our tenants to keep buoyant and protect Staffordshire's competitive edge. When the recession is over we need Staffordshire business to be there at the cutting edge of future prosperity," he said.
Pat Lovett of Town & County Gas Limited has a unit at Lymedale Court Enterprise Centre, near Newcastle Under Lyme.
"We have been here six years and the flexibility the centre has given us to expand and move up has been brilliant. We are employing eight people now and we are still growing. It's a really supportive environment and the business work together too. This rent freeze is an added bonus," she said.
David Mills runs Haughton Design at the Stafford Business Innovation Centre.
"We are an engineering and product design consultancy. We have been here eight years and grown from the smallest of units through to one of the largest. There are seven of us now. The rent freeze is really going to help. It's a difficult time for everyone so all the help we can get is much appreciated," he said.
John Lancashire runs Marchwood import export operations from Cannock Enterprise Centre.
"The slide in the exchange rate has hit us hard so the rent freeze shows the county council really understands the problems we face.
"We have been here since 1999 and the centre has provided us with the space to grow in line with our needs. I would have no hesitation in recommending the units to anyone who is starting up a business," he said.
Paul Simmons who runs 'Hoardersworld' at the Burton Enterprise Centre said the freeze could be a life saver for some business.
"It's tough enough running a small business so an understanding landlord, whose focus is on helping you succeed, is a real winner. The rent freeze is just another extension of that philosophy," he said.
Page Last Modified:
30/01/2009 13:18:51
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