Sefton Economic Strategy Consultation 2022/2023

Sefton Economic Strategy Consultation feedback summary.

In total there were 80 comments.

• To grow is the starting point for success and more support for smaller businesses.
• Helping businesses to maintain and grow their businesses over a longer period.
• Lack of affordable office space and land.
• Businesses at our Economic Forum told us they would like more support on digital inclusion to help them grow and increase their productivity.
• More opportunities for training and reskilling people.
• For town centres to be more attractive, green, and accessible for people to live, visit and work.
• Transport needs to be more flexible and better to meet the needs of the changing population; but we also need to understand more about how people with mobility issues access public transport or amenities as they are unable to walk or cycle due to limited health.
• Feedback from focus groups included disability access be given more consideration when developing new premises as the needs of disabled people are often overlooked.
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• We are working with the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority to use UK Shared Prosperity Funding to support Sefton businesses to start and grow. We aim to do this over the next 2-3 years with new funding coming into Sefton in mid – 2023.
• We are setting up  a new digital network for businesses called the ‘Sefton Huddle’. Further information will be made available on www.investsefton.com
• InvestSefton provides a range of support to help businesses of all sizes to grow. This includes one to one support; demand led business workshops and events such as the highly regarded Sefton Economic Forum and referral to many other providers for help with accessing finance, developing new markets, increasing sales and digital skills.
• The team also works with businesses over the longer term through developing strong relationships to help them grow. Further information is available on www.investsefton.com.
• Office accommodation is highly competitive in terms of price in south of the borough compared to Liverpool City Centre. Vacant office space exists across Bootle and is available to rent.
• Sefton Council own Southport Business Park and are in discussions with potential developer, investors and occupiers for this site.
• Southport Town Deal is helping to fund the Southport Enterprise Arcade - a 880 sqm of refurbished office accommodation for digital and creative business use within Southport Town Centre.  
• We have launched the Sefton Huddle-A new networking group for the borough’s digital, creative and tech businesses which will meet on a regular basis to help drive ideas to support growth in Sefton’s digital sector.
• We have worked with a range of local employers to provide Open Days and Jobs Fairs to promote opportunities for a wide range of groups to return to learning and build their skills towards employment. This has included partnerships with organisations such as JobCentre Plus and numerous training providers to offer events for over 50s and also for younger adults, based at the Cambridge Road centre.
• We have offered a number of accessible drop-in sessions for people looking for flexible employment including a Job Shop at the strand centre promoting work opportunities supporting the forthcoming Eurovision event.
• We identified a number of employers keen to attract older workers and held the first Over 50s jobs fair, which was attended by more than 70 residents and 10 employers. We intend to make this a regular event.
• We worked in partnership with a specialist agency who help younger people overcome deal with mental health issues. This resulted in a menu of options for clients from Sefton@work to experience a range of sessions and activities designed to build confidence and link them to the careers guidance. 
• We are working tirelessly to promote our Caring Business Charter. This enables employers to offer various opportunities such as work experience placements, work trials and visits for people who have experience of care or who are looked after.
• We are working on a more joined -up offer between Sefton@work and the Sefton Community Learning Service, so residents can track how locally available jobs can be accessible to them through high quality advice and how they can improve their longer-term prospects through building their skills.
• Bootle town centre has secured capital levelling up funding to improve Bootle Strand as part of the first stage of its repurposing.  This will bring forward improvements to town centre including new open space and enhanced public realm, development of the Salt n Tar events space for a range of public events, community uses and night-time economy as well as enhanced soft landscaping/planting to areas fronting the Bootle canal. This will benefit to the local community and visitors to the area.
• Investment in Ainsdale on Sea beachfront are proposed subject to environmental considerations to improve the beach toilets and parking facilities.
• Southport Town Deal programme delivery will include improvements to the Southport visitor economy through the proposed new £73m Marine Lake Events Centre going to Planning Committee in April; enhanced public realm programme Les Transformation de Southport a £2.5m public realm enhancement programme around Southport Market and the refurbishment and improvement of Crown Buildings which will be refurbished into a digital creative business hub - Southport Enterprise Arcade (£1.5M).

The Liverpool City Region combined Authority is developing a new Local Transport Plan.  This local transport plan will look broadly at all transport modes to deliver a high-class transport system fit for the region. 

• The Councils approved Equalities, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy (2023-2027) A Borough for Everyone, sets out an ambitious action-oriented strategy which includes a focus on our role as leader of place. Including working with partners, stakeholders, and communities to increase awareness, improve dialogue, and support improved outcomes for all communities in our borough for everyone.
• The Council have established emerging networking groups to explore issues around how we provide information through the Improving Information Group and around access relating to travel and transport. 
• The Council have an established staff training programme around Equality Diversity and Inclusion which includes opportunities for awareness training around visual impairment awareness, and around developing Equality Impact Assessments, for schemes, projects, and policies. 
• The Council undertake Equality Impact Assessments as a key part of project development and are presented as part of formal council reporting. 
• The Liverpool City Region are participants in the Cycling and Walking Index which explores a range of issues around barriers to walking and cycling.  This research includes a range of protected characteristics including, age, sex and disability amongst others.  The report can be found here; https://www.sustrans.org.uk/the-walking-and-cycling-index/liverpool-city-region-walking-and-cycling-index/.
• All new build development projects will take disability access into consideration as part of the Council’s policy on equality and diversity and its requirements under its public sector equality duty.