North Yorkshire has joined forces with other authorities in the region to support and guide local small businesses in securing work in the public sector.
The County Council, alongside City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council and Barnsley Council, is working with local organisation Go4Growth to develop the business marketplace and support for the voluntary sector.
The authorities are committed to helping smaller organisations to enter or grow their market share in the public sector. They recognise the need to provide more support and guidance for these organisations that can find securing work in the public sector disproportionately harder than their larger competitors.
“Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and voluntary, community and social enterprises (VCSEs) are the lifeblood of our local economy,” said County Council Leader Cllr Carl Les. “As we recover from the pandemic and rise to the challenge of Brexit, we believe there has never been a more important time to support local businesses. Our local supply chains are essential for our local communities and high streets.
“Local suppliers create jobs and prosperity in North Yorkshire. Our support at such a difficult time goes some way towards helping them to bounce back and to play their part in the growth of the county’s economy, post-pandemic.”
North Yorkshire County Council spent £215m with local businesses last year, highlighting its contribution to the county’s economy during the coronavirus pandemic. It supports nearly 2,100 companies based in North Yorkshire and the City of York through its procurement activities and has increased its spend with local SMEs each year since 2015.
The four authorities are funding the Go4Growth programme, so businesses can join and take the support, guidance, tools and resources on offer with no cost to them. Join the programme at;
www.go4growth.net-positive.org
Gillian Askew, co-founder of Go4Growth, said: “We are delighted to be working with these authorities in Yorkshire to help support organisations to be able to find and secure work in the public sector marketplace. This is really important work, which has only increased in priority and urgency in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The County Council buys a wide range of goods, works and services, including adult and children’s social care, IT, utilities, food and transport. It considers ‘social value’ – such as job creation, skills development, access to technology and reduction in waste to landfill – as part of the buying process.
Construction company Tom Willoughby Ltd has had contracts with the County Council for more than 20 years. The firm, which has its head office in Northallerton and regional offices in Harrogate, Catterick and Leeming, provides maintenance for council buildings, including schools, care homes and offices.
Managing director Darren Johnson said: “The County Council contract is massive for us. We have over 20 people employed on the contract full-time, dedicated to that work, so it is hugely important to us. Every single one of those employees is a North Yorkshire resident. They quite often live and work in their communities, which we find is a benefit, because there is a greater sense of ownership.”
