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Minister Pledges 'Rural Renaissance' for the West Country

Environment Minister Richard Benyon has said on a visit to Devon and Cornwall that the Government wants a rural “renaissance”, where high-tech businesses can set up in rural parts of the West Country as easily as in central London.

Read more on the Western Morning News...

‘Business Invest’ Competition Launches

Devon’s Business Invest 2012 Campaign was launched on February 10th, and will provide £10,000-worth of prizes to boost the winning business, projected to generate up to £100,000-worth of sales.

The event is presented by local business Evado Media, and supported by other Devon businesses. The Campaign is easy to enter for all SMEs; all that’s required of entrants is that they are operating in or around Exeter, known as the City and the Heart of Devon (including Exeter, East Devon, Mid Devon, South Devon or Dartmoor). Entries must be made by Friday 23rd March 2012.

More information...

Devon Delivers: New drive for investment and jobs in Devon

Devon County Council has launched a major five-month campaign to encourage businesses to relocate to Devon, targeting one million major business leaders in UK companies via internet advertising.

"Business growth is really important for Devon's economy. We want to encourage the right businesses to locate to Devon and help to create higher skilled and better paid jobs for local people”, said Will Mumford, Devon's Cabinet Member for Economy, Enterprise and Employment. “This is an innovative, web-based campaign that will put Devon in the shop window as an ideal business destination and encourage firms to re- locate or start up here. And it will challenge the traditional view of Devon by demonstrating the range, depth and breadth of companies that are already operating highly successfully in the county.”

The campaign features numerous highly successful Devon based businesses, reaching markets around the world, and who demonstrate Devon’s diverse economy, such as Supacat, Goodridge, Burts Chips, Forest Fuels and Actavis.

"We are very grateful to all the companies that have agreed to take part in this campaign and their participation demonstrates the cooperation and partnership that already exists”, continued Mumford, “In essence, we will be telling decision-makers how much better business is in Devon."

The campaign will illuminate the county’s diversity and capacity for innovative and high tech industries to dispel the preconceived image of Devon as an agricultural, tourism county. Mumford also announced that the campaign would highlight Devon's success in winning Government backing to deliver superfast broadband to at least 85% of the county.

The dedicated website for the Devon Delivers campaign will also target key decision-makers, aiming to generate 10 million webpage impressions. A twitter account has also been created under the name Devon Delivers, and a media relations programmeis being implemented with the national press and specialist trade magazines.

"There are so many positive developments taking place in Devon with the introduction of superfast broadband to our rural areas, the creation of Exeter Science Park and Skypark in East Devon and, hopefully, the go ahead for the South Devon link road”, added Mumford, "We want to ensure business leaders in the rest of the country know about them and take those factors into account - as well as the fabulous environment and lifestyle that Devon offers - when they consider relocating their companies."

New centres are helping firms to develop in Torbay

Torbay Development Agency's successful operation to provide innovation centres for businesses to start up and grow is expanding.

New centres are being created at Bishop's Place in Paignton and Cockington Court in Torquay to complement the already successful centres at Lymington Road in Torquay, Vantage Point at South Devon College and the Watermark Centre at Ivybridge.

The TDA's South West Innovations Centres aim to help small companies succeed, creating and sustaining new wealth and employment for local economies.

The centres work with a number of partners to provide flexible and low-cost business premises and to create a range of support services. Studies prove that this is a combination which substantially increases new business survival rates.

There are already 64 tenants in the combined centres and with the new premises a total of 109 spaces will be provided offering:

■ Easy in/easy out tenancy arrangements – one month notice either way

■ A simple monthly bill for rent that also covers heat, light, business rates, broadband and telephone rental (subject to centre)

■ Access 24/7

■ Staffed reception

■ Meeting room space – free to tenants for up to 20 hours per month

■ Business support – 1:1 advice sessions, ongoing business mentoring

■ High growth coaching for businesses able to achieve £500k turnover in their first three years

■ Parking

■ 1st and 3rd Friday business breakfast networking events – topical speaker, local business support updates and regularly attended by up to 70 businesses

■ Part of the TDA's provision of business support and accommodation for early stage businesses

New workspace now includes:

■ Nine new offices at the remodelled Vantage Point Centre in South Devon College

■ Nine new offices on the first floor at Cockington Court for early stage creative/media companies

■ A new creative centre workshop building at Cockington Court with 13 new wet-space studios

■ Six new offices in the new Paignton Enterprise Centre in Bishop's Place building in Paignton

TDA is particularly looking for tenants for Cockington Court creative workshops from deprived areas of Torbay, to improve employment opportunities.

TDA Chief executive Steve Parrock said: "We are very pleased with the success of our Innovations Centres, they are a great example of how working together with the public and private sector can help to generate economic growth. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and here in Torbay we are committed to providing up to 70 businesses.

■ Part of the TDA's provision of business support and accommodation for early stage businesses.

New workspace now includes:

■ Nine new offices at the remodelled Vantage Point Centre in South Devon College

■ Nine new offices on the first floor at Cockington Court for early stage creative/media companies

■ A new creative centre workshop building at Cockington Court with 13 new wet-space studios

■ Six new offices in the new Paignton Enterprise Centre in Bishop's Place building in Paignton

TDA is particularly looking for tenants for Cockington Court creative workshops from deprived areas of Torbay, to improve employment opportunities.

TDA Chief executive Steve Parrock said: "We are very pleased with the success of our Innovations Centres, they are a great example of how working together with the public and private sector can help to generate economic growth. Small businesses are the backbone of our economy and here in Torbay we are committed to providing the support they need to develop."

Applications are coming in all the time, and Adrian Sheen TDA's innovations centre manager is happy to discuss the requirements of any new business or with anyone considering setting up who needs additional support.

Contact Adrian on 01803 540670 or email Adrian.sheen@swinnovationcentres.co.uk

New broadband speeding its way to town

BT is planning to roll out the super-speed internet connection to thousands of home and businesses in Dartmouth by spring next year, providing broadband up to 10 times faster than is currently available.

Dartmouth chamber of trade boss Joe Murtagh welcomed the news saying: "This is a tremendous boost for Dartmouth, both for businesses and residents."

He pointed out that hi-tech businesses relying on broadband could be the way forward for towns like Dartmouth which are at the 'end of the line' when it comes to transport.

"It is businesses that are more technology based rather than dragging raw materials down long small country lanes and then exporting them again," he said.

He said the BT move to bring high-speed broadband to Dartmouth would be a 'wonderful opportunity for businesses'.

BT claims that the introduction of super-fast fibre broadband will impact on 3,000 businesses and home in Dartmouth.

The news follows BT's announcement that it planned to include a number of rural market towns in the next phase of its £2.5billion fibre broadband roll out.

Dartmouth is one of 41 towns across the UK which is being told it is in line for the service, which will allow it to access broadband speeds of up to 40Mbps.

Dartmouth is the only Devon town to be included in the latest announcement. The four others are in Dorset and Wiltshire.

BT has already pledged to bring mega broadband to Plymouth and Exeter. Torbay has yet to be included in the programme, although more announcements are due in the near future.

Super-fast broadband offers much faster download speeds of up to 40Mbps, potentially rising to 60Mbps, and upstream speeds of 10Mbps, which could rise to 15Mbps in the future.

Jon Reynolds, BT's regional director for the South West, said: "This latest investment in super-fast broadband is great news for many homes and businesses in the South West. It shows our commitment to bringing super-fast broadband to a wide variety of locations across the region.

"Fibre broadband has the power to revolutionise the way we use the internet. It has huge implications for the way we live, learn and do business, with massive opportunities for entertainment, education and entrepreneurs.

"People in these communities will soon be able to experience the internet as they've never seen it before."

London train gets passengers West earlier and faster

First Great Western has launched a new early morning train from London Paddington, which leaves the capital at 7.06am and arrives in Exeter St David's at 9.30am.

It means business travellers from London can get to Exeter 40 minutes earlier than previously, enabling them to do a full day's work in the city.

Representatives of Exeter City Council and the city's chamber of commerce, who worked with First Great Western to secure the new service, gathered at the station to mark the arrival of the first early morning express yesterday.

Chamber vice chairman Derek Phillips said: "This is great news because it better connects the city once again. We lobbied for this because we think it's essential to have an early morning train out of London serving the Westcountry."

First Great Western managing director Mark Hopwood said: "We're delighted to be able to introduce this early morning fast train, which will be a real benefit to the local economy, both for business and tourism.

"There has been an overwhelming response from across the region in support of it and we thank everyone for their help and support in helping make this happen."

Tim Jones, chairman of Devon and Cornwall Business Council, said improved transport links to the capital could be a "great stimulus to new investment" in Exeter.

"This is absolutely the answer to what we have been asking now for about three years from First Great Western," he said. "We needed to ensure that people could come into the far South West as quickly as they could go up to London.

"Inward investors want to have a full day's work down here and the importance of that symbolically along with the improved journey times is absolutely fundamental.

"So a big thank you to First Great Western and it's now up to the business community to use this service."

Exeter MP Ben Bradshaw said: "I warmly welcome this new service, which recognises Exeter's key role in the local economy of the South West.

"I congratulate First Great Western, local business organisations and Exeter City Council for working together to help bring the new service to fruition."

Third monthly jobs rise in the South West amid continued growth

Economists at financial information service Markit said growth of new business accelerated during November, supporting another increase in staffing levels.

Manufacturing remained the main driver, although the region's service sector also showed signs of recovery.

The data comes from Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI), a monthly survey of selected companies.

This is now sponsored by Lloyds TSB Commercial, which has taken on the role from the South West Regional Development Agency (SWRDA), which is closing by March 2012.

The PMI is designed to provide an early indication of what is happening in the private sector by tracking variables such as output, new orders, employment and prices.

The headline seasonally-adjusted Business Activity Index, which measures the combined output of the region's manufacturing and service sectors, rose from 54.2 in October to 55.5 in November.

Readings above 50 signal expansion; those below 50 indicate contraction.

However, a substantial rate of input cost inflation was recorded. But charges only rose slightly, as strong competition for new business limited the extent of the increase.

The latest rise in output was slightly above the average for the current sequence of growth.

The expansion in activity was supported by a further increase in new business, the PMI report said.

Outstanding business reduced fractionally during November and, while the region's service sector reported a recovery in new business, work in hand decreased due to the ongoing impact on operating capacity from recent contractions in new work intake, the report said. However, manufacturing backlogs continued to rise sharply.

Employment in the South West increased for a third successive month in November, largely driven by job creation in manufacturing. It was the strongest since February and faster than for the UK as a whole.

Input price inflation accelerated sharply during November, with the latest rise the joint-strongest in the current 23-month sequence of increasing costs, the PMI indicated.

Output prices also rose, although the pace of increase was slight.

David Beaumont, area director for Lloyds TSB Commercial in Devon and Cornwall, said: "Growth of the South West private-sector economy strengthened during November, with the business activity index at its highest in seven months.

"The region continued to see a faster rate of growth than the UK as a whole. Improved business conditions resulted in a solid rise in employment levels in the region, and the latest expansion was the sharpest for five months."