Yorkshire bid to trial enterprise hub to help boost rural economy

Business leaders in North and East Yorkshire are to bid to become one of six pilot Rural Growth Networks, which would see incentives offered at a series of business parks to encourage small and fledgling companies in rural areas.

Ministers have pledged £15m to create the networks, which will be similar to mini versions of business-friendly enterprise zones being set up in and around towns and cities. Benefits will include broadband, fast-track planning and skills and mentoring support.

The Yorkshire Post revealed the idea had been proposed by York, North Yorkshire and East Riding Local Enterprise Partnership chairman Barry Dodd last month.

It is part of a £165m package of support designed to unleash the potential of the rural economy, creating thousands of jobs and stopping rural residents having to travel to towns and cities for work. Experts have predicted its untapped potential could be as much as £347bn per year.

The move includes relaxing planning laws to allow up to 35,000 disused farm buildings to be turned into businesses easily.

Mr Dodd said he was “delighted” by the Rural Growth Networks, adding: “We will definitely apply for one of the pilots. There are many innovative rural based businesses. It is vital for the UK economy that these businesses are encouraged to grow.

“This money will enable us to connect several rural business parks in North and East Yorkshire to gain a critical mass of companies. We will then be able to provide some of the benefits available to companies located in the urban based enterprise zones.”

The funding was also welcomed as “timely” by Skipton and Ripon MP Julian Smith, who had backed Mr Dodd’s proposal

“It will allow for example the North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership scope to ensure our market towns and villages offer attractive locations to new and existing businesses,” he said.

“North Yorkshire is jammed-packed with innovative rural businesses but we need to continue to work hard to ensure we retain them and attract new ones.”

Other moves by the Government include a tourism drive which will see holidaymakers encouraged to visit areas of outstanding natural beauty such as Howardian Hills and Nidderdale in North Yorkshire, rather than simply flocking to national parks.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman said these were “less well-known and less well-visited” and said they need to be “much better known to the tourist population at home and visitors coming from overseas”.

The Government has also said it will support work in North Yorkshire to raise awareness and stimulate demand for superfast broadband which is being rolled out with public funding helping to ensure it reaches rural areas. A £20m rural community broadband fund, to reach the most remote areas, has also been opened.

Ms Spelman said: “For too long rural communities and businesses have been overlooked and left to fend for themselves. “Businesses in rural areas suffer the same problems as other companies, but they also have their own unique challenges - a lack of quality broadband and mobile coverage and fragmented business networks and infrastructure.”

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