Enterprise Group

Role and purpose

To support new and existing Small and Medium Enterprises

Background

The Enterprise Group is charged with delivering the ‘Business Creation and Growth’ block of the Swindon Economic Development Vision and Framework (2006).  It also takes ownership of achieving Outcome 1 of the Swindon Local Area Agreement, which focuses upon increasing the total number of VAT registered businesses in the Borough, and increasing the percentage of Swindon employees who are self employed.  

Priorities

Since its formation at the end of 2006 the Group has considered the main barriers facing enterprise growth, and where there are opportunities for partnership working to make a difference to overcoming those barriers.  The group has identified three areas of work upon which it intends to focus its activities in the immediate future.  The themes may change as new priorities emerge and when the appropriate level of support is in place to focus partnership activity, but for the time being they are:

• To encourage young people in Swindon to become entrepreneurs
• To promote the sharing of good practice, peer learning and business to business mentoring to support businesses with growth potential
• To stimulate and encourage innovation amongst Swindon

The core steering group has the following roles:

• Set up the task groups, provide support and receive reports
• Develop future ideas for future task groups (such as Creating opportunities for social enterprise)
• Oversee business support in the Borough
• Complete the development of a Business Charter and champion it amongst stakeholders
• Communicate sideways and upwards including reporting on agreed LAA targets
• Communicate as broadly as possible with local business and receive thoughts back from business representative groups

Membership

The group is intended to be, firstly, business led, and secondly, inclusive of those organisations (public, private and voluntary sector) that have a role in the delivery of business development services.  

The core steering group comprises businesses, bodies that are representative of businesses in Swindon, key public sector stakeholders, and the leaders of each of the thematic sub groups.  Daphne Milner, Chief Executive of GWE Business West Ltd, chairs the Group.  Mark Beard sits on the Group and provides the conduit and reporting mechanism to the Management Board.  The secretariat is provided by Swindon Borough Council.

The thematic sub groups comprise key individuals from those organisations that can make a difference to the subject matter, be it through strategy, funding or delivery of services.  Each group is led by someone with a particular expertise in the subject area.