The arrival of the new year has marked the start of 12 months of events, lobbying and celebration of local enterprise as the inaugural Croydon Year for Business gets under way.
Croydon Means Business 2018 aims to support and encourage the growth of local businesses and inspire further innovation among the borough’s business community.
Over the coming year, the council and the Croydon Business Network will deliver a programme of events that aims to help Croydon’s businesses continue to develop and grow, creating new job opportunities for local people and boosting the local economy.
The year will continue the legacy of the council’s work with small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the borough, which follows the work of the Small Business Commission last year.
Set up by the council to explore the barriers to, and opportunities for, growth for Croydon’s SMEs, the commission published a report showcasing their findings and an action plan for delivery that proposed cross-organisational working so that collectively businesses, business support agencies and the council could work together to unleash Croydon’s growth potential.
A range of events, training opportunities and continued lobbying on topics including changing the way business rates are calculated for business in London compared to the rest of the UK, are planned as part of the programme which also aims to promote Croydon as ‘the place to do business’.
Croydon Year for Business will officially launch later this month, but the programme of events begins this week on Friday 5 January at the First Friday Networking event at Croydon Hub.
The official programme launch will be on Tuesday 23 January at a Good Employer Network event focused on social value and the positive impact it can have on business. The session will explore how local businesses can develop their corporate social responsibility initiatives in a way that develops their staff, boosts their profile and creates opportunities in Croydon.
Councillor Mark Watson, cabinet member for economy and jobs
“Croydon Year for Business is not only a fantastic celebration of local businesses, but also aims to develop new and existing relationships to create strong alliances to deliver business support across the borough.
“Businesses have a vital role in the local economy and I hope this year-long programme will help to increase business pride in the area, further our engagement with local businesses and improve business confidence in the borough.”
To attend the First Friday networking event or the Good Employer Network launch event, and for the full programme of events, visit https://www.croydon.gov.uk/business2018
