Enterprise centre set to deliver jobs boost for Tamworth
A NEW town centre enterprise centre is to be set up in Tamworth offering start-up companies new facilities with flexible tenancies.
The move, developed in partnership between Staffordshire County Council and Tamworth Borough Council, is designed to give fledgling entrepreneurs peace of mind and confidence to expand.
The move will also link up with regeneration plans aimed at developing a Cultural Quarter in the town and create a mix of businesses, retail and leisure.
The model is not with precedent as the county council already operates 13 similar enterprise centres; each gives a broad range of businesses short-term tenancies to suit their needs in addition to communications equipment, meeting room facilities and networking opportunities.
Staffordshire’s deputy leader and cabinet member for employment and skills Cllr Ben Adams said: “We have just completed a review of our enterprise centres which identified a gap in Tamworth – now we are identifying a suitable location in the town centre.
“We are seeing a growth in professional services such as IT, recruitment and training companies and our new enterprise centre will offer office facilities to new businesses on short-term tenancies they need. We also want to build up aspiration around the Cultural Quarter and support the wider regeneration of the town centre.
“Tamworth is leading the county in term of reducing unemployment and we want to see this continue in the months ahead. A new enterprise centre will be great for start-up businesses and great for Tamworth town centre.”
The enterprise centres form part of the package of support for business in Staffordshire which includes a successful loans scheme – which has seen over 80 companies benefit and 370 jobs created or protected – apprenticeship scheme and business helpline.
Cllr Steve Claymore, Tamworth Borough Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is part of an ambitious project to regenerate and improve Tamworth town centre. We are working with Staffordshire County Council to identify a suitable site for the enterprise centre and hope to make it a reality very soon.
“In wider terms, this fits in with the partnership work we are doing with the county council and the ideas which we are exploring, including the redevelopment of Gungate, the development of a Cultural Quarter, the Gateways Project, and ongoing improvements to the public spaces in the town centre.”
