Business Board moves forward

The second meeting of the Shropshire Business Board took place on 4 August, following its inaugural meeting six weeks earlier.

Rob Bickerton, Managing Director of Shrewsbury Town Football Club, was welcomed as a new member of the Board which is made up of 11 Shropshire business leaders and representatives of county and regional business support agencies.

One of the first tasks the Business Board is undertaking is to review and refresh the county’s current economic development strategy and set priorities and objectives for activity over the next three to five years.

The resulting Business Plan will be the strategic document which sets the direction for economic development in Shropshire.

At their August meeting, the Board considered which priorities should be tackled first, reaching agreement that issues associated with business competitiveness, enterprise development and investment are key to growing Shropshire’s economy.

John Hurst-Knight, Shropshire County Council’s Cabinet member for economy, said: “It is great to see so many of the county’s businesses helping to improve and strengthen the economic prosperity of Shropshire.”

Geoffrey Davies OBE, chairman of the Business Board and managing director of McConnels Ludlow and the Alamo Group Europe, added: “The importance of involving the private sector in identifying the priorities for Shropshire’s economy cannot be overstated. I am impressed by the commitment the Board members have shown to taking forward the huge task of developing a business plan for the county that will lead to real improvements in the economic position of Shropshire.”

Several members of the Board will now meet at regular intervals as a Working Group, led by Geoffrey Davies, to progress the strategy development, establish timescales for action and determine budgets to inform a business plan. This will then be presented to the new Shropshire Council and the Regional Development Agency, Advantage West Midlands.

The full Board will next meet in November 2008 to consider the Working Group’s recommendations and develop actions further.

27 August 2008