One City

Enterprise

One City 2008 includes the following initiatives aimed at energising business and creating employment opportunities.

Backing Small and Minority Businesses

Objective: To look to create further linkages with local enterprises through the council’s procurement activity and increase our spend within the city, following the highly successful Meet the Buyer event in November last year, where over 300 local enterprises met with the council and its major suppliers to discuss trading opportunities.

What will it involve? Specific learning opportunities will be created for local small and minority businesses to learn about the council’s expectations and how to develop their systems to become fit to supply Westminster City Council and other public and private sector organisations. The council will target developing the communication of its processes and upcoming procurement activity so that potential suppliers are provided with quality information about how to engage in such opportunities. This will include ward and neighbour based workshops where appropriate.

Regenerating the City

Lead Cabinet Portfolios: Economic Development and Transport, Planning, Street Environment.

Objective: To continue the council’s public realm improvements in key, strategic locations across Westminster, for the benefit of businesses and residents.

What will it involve? High profile projects for the year include bringing forward a deliverable and sustainable improvement scheme for the Berwick Street area, plus the £22m Whitehall streetscape scheme (already in progress), ensuring that Westminster’s unique heritage is protected and enhanced at a key location. Continued major improvement works will take place in Chinatown (including Wardour Street and Gerard Place), incorporating classic Chinese styles into the design. The Westbourne Green streetscape improvements will progress, as part of a £1.3m programme to improve carriageways, footways and public lighting in that area. Major improvements will also be made to the corridor between Leicester Square and Covent Garden, along Long Acre and St Martin’s Cross. Our Theatreland initiative will continue as well as our award-winning Civic Streets improvements for local shopping streets, including the implementation on the next phase at Harrow Road, transforming the area around Prince of Wales Junction.

An Enterprising City

Objective: To continue our drive to support 2,000 job seekers into work by April 2009; and to deliver a range of specific projects, through our Economic Development Strategy, to encourage entrepreneurialism, promote economic development and support local business.

What will it involve? The council’s new Economic Development Strategy for the period up to 2011 focuses on three major priorities: improving the environment in which business operates; supporting local enterprise; and providing employment and training to residents, particularly those who currently face barriers to work. In terms of practical measures for job seekers, we will be providing interview practice, CV support, and advice and training to local job-seekers so that they can access local vacancies. Links to local employers will continue to be made by job brokerage services (like Paddington First and SW1st) which then advertise vacancies and work placements at outreach sessions and their centres across the city. In addition to tackling worklessness, we will be using the dedicated Civic Enterprise Fund to deliver a number of other projects to encourage entrepreneurialism, including amongst young people, and give assistance and support to help residents realise their ambitions.