2

WE RECOGNISE THATIT IS THE BOROUGH’SBUSINESSES THAT

WILL DELIVERFUTURE JOBS AND

ECONOMIC GROWTH

3

To reach our goals will require strong effective partnerships across the borough andwe will continue to work with our public, private and voluntary sector partners toidentify and deliver a common vision efficiently and effectively. We will ensure thatorganisations that are best placed to deliver services are properly supported to doso, and will help to develop the infrastructure and environment that is needed tosupport business growth across the borough.

It is the borough’s businesses that will deliver future jobs and economic growth.They will need motivated staff with the right skills; an excellent transport anddigital infrastructure; the right premises in the right places; opportunities tonetwork, identify new markets, suppliers, and specific support at different stages oftheir development. The council cannot deliver all these itself, but it will supportorganisations that are best placed to do so, leading, influencing and co-ordinatingwhere it is most appropriate.

We will ensure that departments across Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council considerthe local business and economic impacts of the decisions that they make. Ourregulatory services are business friendly; we develop an on-going dialogue withlocal business representatives, and wherever possible, our approaches toprocurement and commissioning support local businesses.

Cllr Bernard SarsonExecutive Member for Business, Partnership & Public Health

WELWYN HATFIELD

F O R E W O R D

IS AN EXCELLENT

BUSINESSPLACE TO DO

BUT WE WANT IT

TO EXCEL

But we need to work hard to maintain this enviableposition amidst growing national and internationalcompetition.

We need to build on and promote our assets andsuccesses and address our weaknesses, so thatWelwyn Hatfield continues to attract, retain andgrow successful businesses in the future.

4

ONE OFHERTFORDSHIRE’S

MOSTSUCCESSFULECONOMIC AREAS.

it is no surprise that some of the uk’s largest companies have chosen to locate here

IN WELWYN HATFIELD,

BUSINESSMATTERS

excellent transportlinks to london and

cambridge

easy access tointernational

airports

lively shoppingareas

beautiful parksand green spaces

We have a well-educated and skilled workforce, and the boroughhas good transport links to London and Cambridge. The borough isalso recognised as an attractive area to live which is often a factorin encouraging business start-up and inward investment.

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KEYSTRENGTHS VISION

6.7% INCREASE IN NEWBUSINESSES

£577.20AVERAGEWEEKLYEARNING

84,000TOTAL NUMBER OF JOBS

The Welwyn Hatfield economy has benefited fromincreasing numbers of new businesses starting within theborough, with a 6.7% increase between 2014 and 2015.

Welwyn Hatfield has a diverse range of businesseswith awide variety of small and medium sized companies spreadover different sectors and more large businesses (over 250employees) than the rest of Hertfordshire.

Unemployment continues to remain well below thenational average and the number of total jobs in theborough continues to increase significantly reaching 84,000.This is well above the 2008 pre-recession jobs peak of 78,00.

Job density (the ratio of jobs to the working age populationaged (16-64) continues to increase year-on-year, and is nowat 1.11. This is well above the national and county averages, andhigher than the London average, highlighting the continuedattractiveness of the borough as a place to locate a business.

Average earnings of people employed in the borough in 2015 was£577.20 per week, an increase on the previous year and significantlyhigher than those employed in the East of England and the averagesalary for the rest of Great Britain.

an economywith a thrivingentrepreneurial

culture that actively

supports and promotessustainable living andworking communities,

which will make themost of its natural,

physical and humancapital assets; whichattracts, retains and

grows well connectedbusinesses that arestaffed by a highly

skilled and motivatedworkforce, producing

high value goodsand services.

66

diverse range of businesses4,775 registered businesses

More large businesses than the rest ofHertfordshire

High ratio of private sector jobs

Headquarters for major businessessuch as Tesco, Ocado, Computacenter,Affinity Water, Pitney Bowes andEisai UK

Hatfield Business Park

Welwyn Garden City employment area

University of Hertfordshire, OaklandsCollege and Royal Veterinary College

large and welleducated workforce78,600 residents

aged 16-64

26,000 economically active residentsremain in the borough to work

16,000 total net in-flow of workersfrom surrounding areas

61,000 economicallyactive residents

Only4% of economically activeresidents are unemployed

50% of workers are managersand professionals

39% of workershave a degree

FACTS

HEATHROWAIRPORT

LONDONCITY

AIRPORT

Essex

Greater London

BuckinghamshireWELWYNHATFIELD

St AlbansDacorum

HERTFORDSHIRE

STANSTEDAIRPORT

Oxford

A1(M)

M25

M3

M4

M40

M25

M1

M1

M11

M11

MiltonKeynes

Cambridgeshire

Bedfordshire

East Hertfordshire

North Hertfordshire

Stevenage

Broxbourne

HertsmereThreeRivers

Watford

LUTONAIRPORT

Oxfordshire

Berkshire

Cambridge

77

highly accessiblelocationOn the A1(M) between London andthe north

Served by the East Coast mainlinebetween London and Cambridge

Within one hour drive of Heathrow,Luton and Stansted airports

25 minutes from Kings Cross

desirable place to live

Key towns are WelwynGarden City and Hatfield

Choice of attractivevillages

Short train journey to Kings Cross, St Pancras and the City

Desirable shoppingfacilities

Excellent leisure facilities,parks and open spaces

Low crime rate

strong tourism offerHatfield House and gardens

Shaw’s Corner (home of George Bernard Shaw)

Mill Green Mill & Museum

Welwyn Roman Baths

Welwyn Garden City town centre and Hatfield Galleria

Motorways A Roads Railway Shire Business Park Bio Park Hatfield Business Park Royal Veterinary College University of Hertfordshire

S

B

H

V

Ayot St Lawrence

Ayot St Peter

Ayot Green

Lemsford

Stanborough

EssendonTo Hertford,Stevenage

To Hertford,Harlow, Cambridge

To Peterborough& The North

To St Albans

EAST HERTFORDSHIREDISTRICT COUNCIL

BROXBOURNEBOROUGHCOUNCIL

HERTSMEREBOROUGH COUNCIL

LONDON BOROUGHOF ENFIELD

ST ALBANSDISTRICT COUNCIL

NORTHHERTFORDSHIRE

DISTRICT COUNCIL

Little Heath

BrookmansPark

WelhamGreen

Welwyn Digswell

Woolmer Green

Oaklands& Mardley

Heath

WELWYNGARDENCITY

HATFIELD

WildhillWoodside

To LondonTo London

To London

Bell Bar

Swanley Bar

NewgateStreet

Northaw

STANSTEDAIRPORT

HEATHROWAIRPORT LONDON

CITY AIRPORT

GATWICKAIRPORT

LUTONAIRPORT

A1(M)

A1(M)

M25

A414

A414

Cuffley

B

H

S

V

OURPRIORITIES

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The private sector is theengine of growth. Successfulbusinesses drive growth,create jobs and pay the taxesthat finance services andinvestment.

to the needs of established businesses,supporting them to thrive and grow.INWARD

INVESTMENT,

RETENTIONCARE AND

UNDERSTAND AND RESPOND

to start and grow successfulenterprises.

SUPPORT NEW BUSINESSES

with public, private and voluntarysector organisations to help build astrong local economy.

WORK IN PARTNERSHIP

a clearly articulated and co-ordinated approach to inwardinvestment activity that meets theneeds of potential investors.

PROVIDE

We will:

THE WELWYN HATFIELD ECONOMIC STRATEGY (2017-2020) builds upon the year one (2015-2016) Strategy and sets a common framework and vision towards which Welwyn Hatfield Borough Counciland its partners can focus their work in support of a robust and sustainable local economy.

The strategic priorities within the EconomicStrategy will set the context for a 3-year EconomicDevelopment Action Plan, identifying corporateactions and defining the work programme for thecouncil’s economic development function.

Business growth is reliant on theavailability and choice of a range of land and premises, from small servicedoffices for business start ups and modernheadquarter office developments, to fitfor purpose manufacturing facilities andmodern warehousing units.

to create the optimal environmentto encourage business growththrough the council’s Local Planand Business Plan 2015-18. This,includes a corporate priority to‘help build a strong local economy’.

strong relationships with localcommercial agents.

on the council’s commercial,corporate and community basedproperty portfolio.

by identifying suitable premises,including virtual space.

LAND ANDPREMISES

SET THE STRATEGICDIRECTION

SUPPORT NEW ANDEXISTING BUSINESSES

CONTINUE TO BUILD

PROVIDE INFORMATION

We will:

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We recognise that for Welwyn Hatfield to fulfilits economic potential, the importance of skillscannot be over-estimated. Skills are critical to all employers in all sectors. A highly skilledworkforce will facilitate the growth of existingbusinesses and increase the attractiveness ofthe area to inward investors, generating jobcreation and fuelling economic growth.

We will:

with the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)to deliver their revised HertfordshireApprenticeship Strategy by developing localWelwyn Hatfield focused targets.

to understand their skills needs to influencedelivery of provision that meets their needs.

to overcome barriers to participating in andgaining the benefits of apprenticeships by actingas a conduit to impartial advice and guidance.

to businesses to raise awareness about the businessbenefits of apprenticeships, the ApprenticeshipReform (including the levy) and increaseopportunities for new and existing staff.

SKILLS FORGROWTH

WORK IN PARTNERSHIP

PROVIDE QUALITY UP-TO-DATEINFORMATION

that break down the barriers to unemployment,enabling people to participate in the labourmarket in a way that best reflects their needs at different life stages.

SUPPORT THE CREATION OF ARANGE OF SERVICES

WORK WITH BUSINESSES

SUPPORT SMEs

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Meetings will be heldregularly to reviewprogress and take forwardcollective decisions tosupport the strategy’simplementation.

We are committed tomeasuring the impact ofour work, learning from ourefforts and those of others,and communicating ourprogress. Working withpartners in education,

business and keystakeholders, we willcontinue to build a strongevidence base to underpinour work. Monitoring andmeasurement frameworkswill be embedded within allmajor economicdevelopment initiatives,enabling us to capture keylessons and progresstowards goals. We will alsoregularly communicate ourperformance to relevantstakeholders, whilstlistening to others andbuilding a bigger andbetter dialogue aroundsupporting economicdevelopment.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE WELWYN HATFIELDECONOMIC STRATEGY HAS BEEN OVERSEEN BYTHE WELWYN HATFIELD BUSINESS FORUM,WHICH IS MADE UP OF LOCAL BUSINESSES.

MANAGEMENT&MONITORING

Council initiatives and servicescan have a significant impacton local business performance.We will strive to besympathetic and supportive,to ensure companies flourish,generating wealth andemployment for the area.

We will:

to support and encourage businessgrowth through the provision of allits services and functions.

and responsiveness by makinginformation for businesses moreeasily accessible online.

A BUSINESSFRIENDLYCOUNCILENSURE THAT THE COUNCILHAS AN OUTWARD-LOOKING ATTITUDE

businesses as ‘customers’of council services.

ENSURE WE ARESUPPORTING

of the business community.

LISTEN TO THENEEDS

BOOST COMMUNICATION

the WelHat Business Forum so thatbusinesses can influence strategicdirection and have a strong voice.

CONTINUE TO DEVELOP

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