Business Support

Introduction

The aim of this page is to help residents and local businesses in North Norfolk utilise various products and services that relate to business support information, business advice, training opportunities, financial assistance and other support services available to them.

The Challenge

The future effective support of smaller firms in rural areas will only succeed if business support providers and their local government partnerships attract small firms to use their services. The main challenge facing North Norfolk businesses is to gain a ‘world class’ SME business support infrastructure. It is crucial that Business Link and partner providers position themselves to be the central channel through which all support agency services are quality-assured and delivered, and that efforts are made by such agencies to promote and deliver their services to rural, as well as urban, businesses.

Understanding the Challenge

• Small firms do not share the employment-creation agenda of policy makers.
• However, effective policy should support the owner/managers’ aspirations of increased turnover and profit. This will indirectly stimulate new jobs.
• Small firm development has been shown to be a process of slow incremental
  adaptation rather than a sequence of planned decisions.
• Home market conditions can be an important factor, encouraging firms to look
  for foreign market sales. In North Norfolk the small size of the domestic
  market and increasing competition will become a key driver for firms to look
  outside to new markets.
• Understanding the environment within which North Norfolk businesses operate,
  and how to respond to it, is critical when considering what support is needed.
• In growth markets, addressing workforce skills shortages will be key to small
  firm adaptation and growth.
• In North Norfolk, some small firms have no motive or need to train because of
  recruitment policies or level of skill requirements.
• The level of computer literacy in small firms is generally low.
• Small firms need timely and tailored support rather than any form of standard
  supply-side policies which will be wasteful and will not address real needs. What
  is needed is support that is owner/manager-centred rather than adviser-centred.

Action

The contribution that local government brings to the partnership table is fundamental to the future development of the economy. This District Council has continued to provide financial support to, and worked with, enterprise agencies. It has been a funding partner to pan-Norfolk business development initiatives and has operated an advice and support service to businesses across a wide range of issues including the availability of grant finance, premises, training and planning permissions.

The Economic Development Unit has, to a large extent, improved the relevance andcoherence of business support services across the District and has actively lobbiedon behalf of business within the business development arena.