County council chiefs say they remain determined to deliver on their economic strategy plans despite challenges posed by the current global picture.
A report by Cllr Philip White to a meeting of Staffordshire County Council’s overview and scrutiny committee said the recently launched strategy, which covers the 2023-2030 period, was designed to enhance areas such as the rural and visitor economies.
The deputy leader and cabinet member for economy and skills said that the impact of global challenges should not be underestimated.
“Global events continue to impact on the economy, primarily the war in Ukraine and the related cost of living pressures.
“These global issues are expected to continue to impact the Staffordshire economy for some time, although the national economy is not now expected to enter recession as was initially predicted, while inflation is expected to fall throughout the coming year.
“These issues have the potential to impact our ability to deliver some of our economic strategy priorities in the short-term – although some of the priorities will and have come even more strongly into focus.
“Staffordshire remains in a strong position to remain resilient through challenging times.
“Unfortunately, we have seen some increases in unemployment over recent months, although these have largely been in-line with national trends, while our overall unemployment rates remain significantly below regional and national averages.
“Demand for labour and skills remains high, with there currently being 1.1 jobs available for every claimant within the county, and therefore our focus continues to be to support those that unfortunately find themselves unemployed, to transition into work.
“The resilience of the local economy is at least in part due to our continued efforts to support the creation of high-quality jobs within the county. Since 2010, around 42,000 additional new jobs have been created in the county, with many more in the pipeline.”
Cllr Philip White, Staffordshire County Council
The county council’s economic strategy looks at a number of areas including creating a higher skilled workforce and developing entrepreneurial opportunities.
“We have delivered and continue to deliver many business support programmes and created high-quality start-up space across the county over recent years to support and encourage people to start and grow a business.
“We have now supported 548 individuals through the Staffordshire Start Up Mentoring Programme, commissioned through the Staffordshire Chamber of Commerce, since June 2020 – 253 of those who successfully complete the course have decided that self-employment is for them and have started their own business.
“Get Started and Grow has supported more than 160 business owners who have been trading up to five years with professional services support in marketing, finance or digital marketing.
“The programme has expanded this year to include human resources and legal services as an option for the businesses and the county council will continue to procure established Staffordshire businesses to provide this support.”
Cllr Philip White, Staffordshire County Council
