Horsham District Council has published its new Economic Prospectus and Business Charter documents as part of a new Economic Development Framework (EDF), ‘Enterprising Horsham’; the Council’s plan for building a thriving local economy and creating sustainable prosperity across the Horsham District.
The EDF was approved at a Council meeting on 2 April and the final documents are now available to access on the Council’s website.
From 7 October to 29 November 2024 the Council ran an eight-week stakeholder consultation, inviting a range of public and private stakeholders, businesses, and community groups to feedback on the draft Economic Prospectus and Business Charter.
The Economic Prospectus is the primary and overarching document of ‘Enterprising Horsham’, focussed on delivering the economic elements of the Council Plan in alignment with other local and strategic policies. The Prospectus outlines five guiding principles which underpin the framework’s vision and identifies 12 key priorities for action to deliver on these.
The Enterprising Horsham Business Charter is another key document which will help to shape and drive forward a ‘One Council’ approach to support the local economy and businesses, through better collaboration and co-operation across Council services. Representative stakeholders will be invited to join a group that drives the Charter’s alignment of the Council’s services to local needs, demands and aspirations to ensure they continue to be relevant.
As part of the consultation, over 230 comments were received via a survey, emails and meetings. Each comment was reviewed and, where relevant, suggested updates to the Economic Prospectus and Business Charter documents were made. In addition, 63 survey responses provided a snapshot of some key elements relating to the content of the Economic Prospectus and Business Charter.
Commenting on the launch of Enterprising Horsham, Horsham District Council Cabinet Member for Enterprise and Property, Cllr Jonathan Taylor said: “I’m looking forward to enhancing our already strong support for the local economy and businesses through a more coordinated and forward-looking approach.
I would like to thank everyone who provided such valuable feedback on our vision for Enterprising Horsham through completing our survey and taking part in meetings.
“We received a positive response, with 85% and 88% of respondents satisfied, or better, with the approach and content of the Economic Prospectus and Business Charter respectively.
“We have listened to all the feedback and suggested updates from stakeholders, which have shaped the final documents and will inform the development and delivery of the 12 priority actions going forward.
“We look forward to working further with businesses, residents and local and strategic partners to help develop and drive forward Enterprising Horsham and its priority actions, to support our local economy.”
Read the new Economic Prospectus and Business Charter documents via the Council’s webpages.